


The Gathering

by TheShantorian



Category: Bleach
Genre: Comedy, Friendship, Gen, Truth or Dare, cursing, guys this fic is really lighthearted, sleepover, yeah they cuss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:10:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9488507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShantorian/pseuds/TheShantorian
Summary: To: RukiaFrom: Rangiku"Hey. Women's Soul Reaper Association Meeting right now in the Squad Six Barracks. Don't be late." - What began as a quiet get together quickly became a whirlwind of wild antics, revealing secrets, and desires of the heart. Such is to be expected from a night with the Soul Reapers.





	1. A Meeting of Sorts

Note: This is occurring in some strange time frame I created where Aizen and company never revolted, and Ichigo is still close friends with the Soul Reapers.

Chapter 1: A Meeting of Sorts

             It was late in the evening, and the sun was still setting slowly over the horizon. Streaks of violent reds, haunting purples, and cold blues swept through the sky, with stars only beginning to peak out from behind the wispy clouds. The chilly breeze rustled dry leaves along the pathways of the Seireitei, the sound reminiscent of a lover’s whisper. Crickets chirped quietly, their song echoing through the air.

            Rukia Kuchiki was padding aimlessly through the Seireitei, enjoying the quiet evening by herself. She took pleasure in strolling through the stone walkways, watching the daylight fade in the company of her own comforting solitude.

The wind gushed strongly around her, whipping her short, black hair about her face. She absently raised a hand to hold back her hair, but the torrent died down before she got the chance to.

The air now lingered with the scent of cherry blossoms. Rukia took a deep breath, allowing herself to shut her eyes for a moment and bask in the beauty of the night.

At that precise moment, she was torn from her peaceful sanctuary by the harsh trilling of her Soul Pager.

She threw her eyes open and reached into the pocket of her Shihakusho for the tiny, silver device. She flipped it open and was greeted by a short message from Rangiku Matsumoto, the Lieutenant of Squad Ten.

**To: Rukia**

**From: Rangiku**

**_Hey. Women’s Soul Reaper Association Meeting right now in the Squad Six Barracks. Don’t be late._ **

Rukia’s eyes narrowed in confusion. _Why would there be a meeting now? It’s so late in the evening, and we already had our monthly get together. What is going on?_ She thought irritably. _And why in the Squad Six Barracks, of all places? We already set up headquarters in the Kuchiki Family Home, and now there’s a meeting in Byakuya’s Barracks? Brother is bound to be upset by all of this_.

Rukia huffed as she pocketed her Soul Pager, turned around, and began walking towards the Squad Six Barracks.

\---

            By the time Rukia had made it to the Squad Six Barracks, the sun had fully set. The vibrant colors of the evening had been replaced with inky hues of blue and black, with the dim glow of twinkling stars faintly shining off in the distance. Shadows draped every structure, and Rukia felt herself shiver involuntarily. She hastily shoved open the doors to the Barracks, eager to get away from the night’s chill.

            The Barracks were bathed in a warm, golden glow brought on by many lanterns throughout the building. Rukia could hear the hushed voices of the Squad Six members behind many of the closed doors, speaking and laughing with one another. She briefly wondered where her long-time friend, and Lieutenant of Squad Six, Renji Abarai, was in the large complex, but the thought was pushed aside as she approached the Squad Six meeting room. There was a small, square sign on the door that read, **_Women’s Soul Reaper Association Meeting Taking Place Inside_. ** Rukia sighed as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and reached out to open the door. As she did so, a deep voice called out to her from behind.

            “Rukia.”

            The petite Soul Reaper spun around. She knew that voice like one knows the wrinkles lining their palm.

            Her brother, Captain of Squad Six, and Head of the Kuchiki Clan, Byakuya Kuchiki, stood before her, his robes swaying gently around his tall figure.

            Before Rukia could speak, Byakuya held up a slender palm.

            “Please refrain from creating unnecessary noise in my Barracks,” said Byakuya sternly, “Do not begin to assume that I will allow this to occur again. Do not make me regret my decision to permit this.”

            Rukia was terribly confused. She understood that Byakuya did not like holding gatherings in his Barracks, but he seemed unusually irritated due to the fact this evening. Rukia did not want to set her brother off any further by asking questions. Instead, she bowed her head slightly, and let out a faint, “Yes, brother,” before she met his eyes once again.

            Appearing to be pleased, Byakuya Kuchiki turned to the left, and gracefully walked away from his sister, leaving her feeling more lost than she was initially. Rukia rubbed her head, and turned back to the door. Without a second thought, she grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open.

\---

            Byakuya wandered down the hall of his Barracks, through a door, and into his office. He slid the wooden panels closed with a quiet _click_.

            The room was as dark as the Shihakusho he wore, the only light present leaked between the thin, partially drawn curtains lining the window behind his desk. Moonlight seeped through the silk folds, dancing about the walls and objects in his office.

            The Captain of Squad Six elegantly strode forward, only stopping to turn his chair to face the window. He slowly sank down into the chair, his robes rustling delicately as he moved.

            He felt as frail as the thin streaks of moonlight that poured onto his face. He felt his heart beating in slow, heavy thumps within his chest. He shut his eyes, and leaned back into the wooden frame of the chair.

            He thought about his sister, the wide eyed girl who was utterly oblivious to what she would soon be a part of. He thought of how he wanted to refuse that boisterous Lieutenant of Squad Ten, but could never dream of doing so.

            If it meant her happiness, he could not decline such a proposal, no matter how degrading it may be.

            He tried to remember the last time that Rukia seemed truly happy, the last time she smiled out of pure elation.

            Such a memory failed to resurface.

            He knew he was cold, he knew he was more a Kuchiki than her brother. He knew what he was doing was wrong. Maybe not wrong altogether, but wrong in the way he behaved around her. Maybe wrong was not the right word.

            _Uphold the pride of the Clan, and follow the law_ , he thought, his hands now resting on the chair’s slim armrests, his fingers hanging slightly off the edge.

            He curled his fingers around the chair’s armrests, the sculpted wooden structures digging into his hands as he did so.

            Byakuya opened his eyes, staring up at the black expanse of stars and moonlight beyond his window.

            _I am doing this for you, Rukia_ , he thought, his stern expression finally relaxing into one of inner acceptance. _I am doing this not as the Head of the Clan, not as a Captain. I am doing this as your brother-_

“-and I want nothing more than to see you smile.”

\---

            The first thing Rukia noticed was the food.

            The Squad Six meeting room had been transformed yet again into another kind of area altogether.

            Tables lined the back walls, each overflowing with an endless supply of foods, drinks, and snacks. The sound of chatter and giggling nearly drowned out the faint, upbeat music playing in the background.

            Futons, pillows, and sleeping bags lined the floor, along with stuffed animals and plushies of all kinds. Discarded Shikaushos and robes lay strewn in unkempt heaps, littered around like makeshift decorations.

            Rukia noticed that the Woman’s Soul Reaper Association was indeed present, but each of the members was clad in sleepwear, rather than their uniform.

            After a moment more of standing and gawking in confusion, Rukia realized what was going on.

            The Woman’s Soul Reaper Association was having a sleep over in the Squad Six Barrack’s meeting room, with Byakuya’s permission.

            Rukia scowled when she realized the lengths these women must have gone to in order to get her brother to agree to something like this. Now she understood why he seemed to be acting so strange out in the hallway.

            Rukia was about to make her way to the food table at the back of the room when a woman with a large chest and orange hair shouted her name. She immediately assumed it was Rangiku, but as the lady approached, she realized that she was wrong.

            “Orihime?” said Rukia, now thoroughly confused. “What are you doing here?”

            The human girl smiled brightly at Rukia, her long hair swaying with her movements. “Rangiku came all the way to my house to invite me to this sleepover! She said it was going to be lots of fun, and that it was for just us girls, so I came!”

            Orihime was clad in a pair of tiny shorts, and a t-shirt. Her long legs were very exposed, and the shirt complimented her bust and flat stomach. She grabbed onto Rukia’s arm, pulling her towards a door at the back of the room, one that led to a bathroom. “Come on!” she called, “Let’s get you all dressed up.”

\---

            Orihime opened up the bathroom, flicked on the light, and practically shoved Rukia inside. The black haired girl yelped in shock when a pile of pale blue fabric flew into her face.

            “You get changed in here, and don’t come out until you’re all dressed!” ordered Orihime. With that, the orange haired girl shut the door with an ecstatic flourish, and flounced off to tell the other attendees that Rukia had finally arrived.

            Rukia stood in the bathroom for a moment after the door closed, cradling the pile of sleepwear in her arms. She blinked away the shock and decided that she should indeed make the most of this night and go along with the shenanigans. It wasn’t every day that Byakuya permitted a sleepover at all, let alone in his Barracks. It wasn’t every day that she was invited to such an event anyway.

            Rukia smiled as she thought about the night to come. _It’s been a while since I’ve done anything normal with the other Soul Reapers,_ she thought. _This could turn out to be pretty fun_.

            With those pleasantries in mind, Rukia quickly discarded her Shikakusho and sandals, and donned the set of pajamas that Orihime had given her: a pair of pale blue capris with a t-shirt covered in Chappy bunnies. _This isn’t that bad of an outfit_ , she thought as she exited the bathroom.

            Rukia maneuvered her way around the piles of pillows and furry toys to the centre of the room, where, wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags, were the members of the Women’s Soul Reaper Association, all sitting in a large circle.

            “What are we doing?” asked Rukia as she plopped down onto an unoccupied futon between Orihime and Rangiku Matsumoto.

            Rangiku, flush from drinking sake, turned towards Rukia, “Oh, heeyy,” she said, smiling at her, “About time you got here.”

            Rangiku was wearing anything but normal sleep wear. She had on a tiny, purple tank top that was clearly too many sizes too small, and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms covered in pink, cartoonish hearts. This combination exposed a fair amount of Rangiku’s midriff, but it was clear to everyone in the Seireitei that Rangiku wore what she want, when she wanted to, especially if she felt like she looked good in it.

            “Hey!” Rangiku shouted, waving an arm in the air to catch the attention of the other women. “Rukia’s here! Let’s start the game!”

            Rukia turned to Orihime, who was nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie. “What game?”

            Orihime smiled innocently. “We’re playing truth or dare.”

            Rukia gulped. She was slightly afraid of the mess that she, along with the other ladies, would probably end up making as a result of this seemingly harmless game. There were Soul Reapers here after all. Boundaries were few and far between, besides Byakuya being present in the building. Even that wasn’t exactly much of a boundary.

            “All right,” called out a languid voice that Rukia recognized as Captain Retsu Unohana’s. The Captain of Squad Four was wearing a modest two piece pajama set, with plaid patterned bottoms and a long sleeved top. Her long, black hair was braided down her back instead of her front. “Who would like to go first?”

\---

            In another room inside of the Squad Six Barracks, a red headed, shirtless man sat glaring at a hand of cards.

            Lieutenant Renji Abarai was relaxing with his friends in his room. The group of men were gathered around a small, wooden table, playing cards and drinking the gorgeous Friday night away.

            Despite opening up the lone window, and leaving the door open, the room was incredibly stuffy with the body heat of five anxious men. Renji had taken his hair out of its ponytail half an hour earlier when he’d only had one drink, and had complained vehemently about the fact that his characteristic hairdo was giving him a headache. He’d shrugged off the top half of his Shihakusho only fifteen minutes ago, when the room had become almost unbearably hot.

Now, he sat atop his bed, cross legged, with the wonderful, chilly breeze from the open window gently brushing against his overheated abdomen. The wind ever so faintly tousled his hair, but the movement was so slight that he didn’t notice it.

Staring at the awful hand of cards he now held, Renji ran a hand through his hair, waiting for another player to make a move.

Across the room, leaning against his armoire, was the Lieutenant of Squad Nine, Shuhei Hisagi. The spiky haired Soul Reaper was not in uniform, but instead wore a pair of loose pants he usually trained in, and a black sleeveless shirt.

Shuhei let out a small, deep chuckle as he tossed his cards onto the table.

            The other players in the room all groaned in unison, angrily or despairingly tossing their cards aside. “That’s the fifth game in a row!” shouted Ikkaku Madarame, menacingly leaning over the table towards Shuhei, who was holding up his hands defensively, a smug look of satisfaction plastered to his face.

            “Hey,” said Shuhei, obviously enjoying the moment, “It’s not my fault that you suck at this.” Shuhei broke into a wide grin.

            Ikkaku roared and attempted to upturn the entire table, but Yumichika Ayasegawa and Izuru Kira grabbed the bald headed man and forced him back down.

            Renji had abandoned his cards and his cross legged position for a more comfortable arrangement. He stretched out his legs, leaning back into his bed as he tucked his arms behind his head.

            “Hey, wake up,” he heard Ikkaku yell. Renji’s eyes were closed by this point. With the amount of sake he’d consumed, he was beginning to feel very sleepy. He wasn’t aware of who Ikkaku was addressing. “I said, _hey_!” Ikkaku shouted, and Renji only had time to crack open an eye before a pile of his own clothing was thrown on top of his face.

            Renji let out a startled yelp, a sound that was oddly high pitched for his large body. He flailed his limbs around wildly, attempting to get the mass of black and white fabric off of him, without injuring himself in the process. He began to feel very irritated with the fact that his friends had gone through his things, and in a fit of pure rage, Renji sat up and threw the ball of clothing to his right.

            The clothing flew in a composed arc, straight out of Renji’s window, landing with a dull _woosh_ in the grassy fields outside.

            The room was silent for a moment, with only the sound of creaking floorboards, and faint, feminine giggles resonating from somewhere within the Barracks acting as background noise.

            It was Shuhei who started laughing first, with Ikkaku right behind him. The pair of men nearly doubled over, laughing great, whooping laughs, clutching at their stomachs the entire time. Izuru was in a state of silent, sobbing, chuckles, his laughter so violent that it produced no noise. Yumichika had a hand delicately covering his mouth as he impishly giggled to himself, refusing to make eye contact with Renji.

            “I can’t believe you threw your own shit out the window,” coughed Ikkaku as he slung an arm around Shuhei, who’d gone into another fit of laughter, his face nearly buried in Ikkaku’s shoulder. The pair had to use each other as support with how hard they were laughing. The alcohol in their systems did nothing to ease their elation.

            Renji merely sat, feeling his hair brush against his bare shoulders with the gentle nudging of the wind, staring at his friends who were all collapsed in varying positions, shaking with laughter. His mouth was slightly open, and he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. He turned and looked out the window where his clothing lay, a dark blotch against the moonlit yard.

He turned back to the room, and he began to laugh.

            Renji fell onto his back, holding on to his stomach for dear life. His whole body shook with loud, deep barks of laughter.

            “I am such an idiot,” he forced out between heaves.

            The members of the Abarai bedroom all laughed in agreement.

            “Hey Ikkaku,” called Renji, who was still laughing as he propped himself up onto his elbows to look at the clean cut member of Squad Eleven. His red hair fell over his tattooed body, swaying slightly with the breeze. “Go outside and get my crap,” he said, attempting to sound serious. The moment lasted for less than a second, and Renji threw his head back and began laughing harder than ever before.

            Ikkaku sniffed against Shuhei, who’d passed out only seconds before. The Lieutenant of Squad Nine snored quietly against Ikkaku’s shoulder, his head lolling this way and that. Ikkaku shoved the boy aside without a second thought, smiling as he addressed Renji. “Fuck no,” said the Third Seat of Squad Eleven.

            Shuhei, who’d been rudely awaked by being thrown to the floor, sat up and joltingly hit his head against one of the drawer handles on Renji’s armoire. Izuru wheezed in another onslaught of chortles, and Shuhei slapped the back of the blond man’s head in response, muttering a faint, “What the fuck are you laughing at?” This only made Izuru laugh even harder in his newly adopted position on the floor, where he lay on his side. Yumichika was sitting on the opposite side of the room, his face tucked into a pillow as he fought off bouts of his own laughter.

            Renji and Ikkaku were silent for a few moments, but it did not last very long. The two men started laughing all over again, and they were not even slightly concerned about anything else.

            Forgetting about his clothes altogether, Renji turned onto his side with his back to the window. _This is going to be one hell of a night_ , he thought as a smile began to toy with his lips.

\---

            “Ooh! Me! I want to go!” exclaimed Rangiku. She clapped her hands as she waited for Captain Unohana to address her.

            “All right, Rangiku. Who would you like to ask-” began Unohana, but Rangiku interrupted her none too kindly.

            “I have a question for the group,” the busty woman announced, slowly glancing over everyone’s face with her glassy eyes, “Which of the Captains do you think is the _hottest_?” Rangiku giggled devilishly as she awaited everyone’s answer.

            The girls all either looked down or away from Rangiku, blushes seeping into their cheeks. Momo Hinamori looked just about ready to answer when Yachiru Kusajishi jumped to her little feet.

            “Kenny gets _reaaaallly_ hot when he’s hungry! When Kenny wants to eat, he gets a fever!” shouted the pink haired Lieutenant of Squad Eleven. She set her jaw and looked incredibly proud of her answer.

            The women of the Seireitei, and Orihime, all turned to stare at Yachiru.

            One by one, the ladies all broke out into small fits of childish giggles. Momo reached out and gave Yachiru a hug, to which Yachiru asked, “Did I do it right?”

            Momo smiled at the young girl. “You’re doing just fine.”

            It took a few moments before the clamor died down.

            Rangiku wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye as she turned to Yachiru. “All right, Yachiru. That was a great answer. Now it’s your turn to ask someone whether they want to answer a truth question or do a dare.”

            Yachiru dropped to the floor, landing in a pile of cushiony pillows, thoughtfully pondering over who to ask. At last, she made up her mind.

            “You!” stated Yachiru, pointing a finger at Rukia, “Truth or dare?”

            Rukia looked down at the bunny plushie she had in her hands. With a terribly blank look on her face, she simply replied with, “Dare.”

\----

**Author's Note:** Okay hi! So this story was first posted to fanfiction.net under my account of the same name. I'm going to be uploading all of my works here, so uh, keep an eye of for that. Thanks for checking it out!

 


	2. And So It Begins

Chapter 2: And So It Begins

After ineffectively calming each other down, the five men inside Renji’s bedroom decided that they should indeed retrieve Renji’s clothes from the yard before Captain Kuchiki came across the discarded robes.

            Renji stood up, his chest aching from the violent laughter that had only just died down. He pulled the top half of his Shihakusho back on as he got off of his bed.

            “I’m going to go find the Captain,” said Renji, “I’ll go ask for the keys to the back gate to grab the stuff.”

            The others mumbled various agreements and turned back to the small, wooden table where Shuhei had started dealing out a deck for another round of cards.

            Renji, satisfied that his room would not be blown into oblivion during his absence, headed towards his Captain’s office.

            The floorboards creaked quietly under Renji’s feet, the sound muted and dull. He made his way down a series of long hallways, all set aglow by the warm lanterns that hung throughout the Barracks.

            At last, Renji found himself at Captain Kuchiki’s office. He stood still for a moment, pondering as to whether he should knock before entering, or head right in. Renji was not sure if the Captain was in his office or not.

Deciding to take the safe route, Renji knocked on the door.

“Captain?” Renji called, his voice a low whisper, “Captain Kuckiki? I need to ask you something, sir.”

Seeing that there was no response, Renji determined that he should enter, especially if the Captain had only just left, and planned to return soon. Quickly, Renji grabbed the door handle and pulled the door aside, stepping into Byakuya Kuchiki’s office.

Renji hastily shut the door behind him while attempting to be as quiet as he possibly could.

Renji turned around to face the room, and had to cover his mouth to stop himself from making shouting.

The Captain’s office, decorated with heavy wooden pieces of furniture, was beautifully illuminated by the silver moonlight that streamed in through the single, wide window. The curtains fluttered daintily in the breeze, the scent of the night pouring in with every gust.

Outlined in a haunting, white glow was the shape of Byakuya Kuchiki, seemingly asleep in a chair, facing the window with his back to Renji. What caught Renji off guard was the small, dark, lump of a person that was straddling the Captain while moving something around in front of Byakuya’s face.

Renji, horrified and confused, was about to call out the intruder when he suddenly became aware of their identity.

The light of the moon reflected against two deep, dark eyes, and put a dazzling shine to a head of short, black hair.

_Rukia,_ thought Renji, his heart still hammering from the shock of seeing someone tampering with his sleeping Captain. _Just what the hell is she-_

One more look at the member of Squad Thirteen and Renji realized just what his childhood friend was doing in her brother’s office.

Renji caught a glimpse of the black permanent marker in Rukia’s grip as she raised it in preparation to bring it back down for another line.

_She is drawing on his face_ , thought Renji, his eyes wide. He then fought the urge to burst out laughing right then and there. _She’s going to get us killed._

Just then, a deep, lazy moan came from the far side of the room as Byakuya’s head abruptly lolled to one side.

Renji took a step back, startled. _Oh no, he’s waking up._

Rukia jumped up, Flash Stepping across the room in the blink of an eye, but in the process, slammed straight into Renji’s body. She dropped the marker on impact, and Renji bent to pick it up.

When Rukia discovered that Renji had just seen her vandalize her brother’s face, she simply forgot how to move. All she could think about was the amount of trouble she’d be in, or how her brother might even disown her from the Clan. Rukia felt downright terrified.

However, when she looked up at her friend’s face and saw the bold grin he had on, Rukia realized that she had nothing to fear.

            Renji passed the marker back to Rukia and motioned for her to follow him outside into the hall. She nodded, trailing behind the red headed Lieutenant.

            Renji led Rukia far enough away from the Captain’s office so that they stood in front of the doors to the meeting room. The muffled sounds of glasses clinking and women laughing could be heard from beyond the doors.

            Renji turned to Rukia. “Though that was funny,” he said, crossing his arms, “just what the hell were you thinking?”

            Rukia too crossed her arms, a defiant look taking over her features as she shoved the marker into the pocket of her capris. “I was upholding my honor as a woman of the Kuchiki household?”

            Renji scoffed and looked away. “By drawing on your brother?”

            Rukia uncrossed her arms, and wrapped them around herself instead, her hair bouncing a bit as she began to giggle. “I was dared to do it,” she said, smiling faintly.

            Renji, clearly perplexed, looked back at Rukia as he put his hands on his hips. “You were dared to do something suicidal?” Renji asked, but then, a look of realization crossed his face, “You guys are playing truth or dare at a meeting?”

            “It’s not exactly a _meeting_ ,” confessed Rukia, dropping her arms to her sides. “It’s a sleep over, actually. Brother was the one who gave the others permission to have one.”

            “Huh,” Renji said, narrowing his eyes at the small girl, “And why wasn’t I invited to this?”

            “It’s for the _Women’s_ Soul Reaper Association,” explained Rukia, her tone challenging.

_Though, this might more interesting if the guys joined us,_ thought Rukia.

            Renji pondered over Rukia’s reply for a bit, but before he could say anything, she interrupted.

            “Why don’t you join us then?” she asked, “But, it might be a bit awkward with just you in a room full of women, talking about bras, and boys, and-” Renji cut her off.

            “I’m not here alone tonight,” said Renji, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks, “Shuhei and the guys are playing cards back in my room. If I’m invited…”

            “Fine, they can come.” said Rukia, looking away, “But, you have to play the game with us. All of you.”

            “You want us to play truth or dare,” clarified Renji.

            “Yes, I do.”

            Renji pursed his lips. _Well, we’ve got nothing better to do,_ he thought. _Besides, just how bad could playing a little game be? I mean, it’s just truth or dare. It’s not like we’re lighting things on fire or anything._

 “All right, I’ll go grab the guys and head back here,” finalized Renji, “We’ll knock before we come in.”

            Rukia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she smiled brightly at the tall Lieutenant. “All right, see you soon.”

            With that, Renji and Rukia parted ways.

            Rukia turned back to the door, preparing to open it, when it was pushed open from the inside instead.

            Out came Captain Retsu Unohana, Captain Sui Feng, and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, all carrying their uniforms in their arms.

            “Oh, you’re leaving?” Rukia asked. She’d expected the Captains to stay the entire night. She was curious as to what she’d discover about the two women in during the game. _I guess it’ll have to be another time then_ , thought Rukia.

            “I’m afraid we are,” answered Unohana, smiling apologetically, “Sui Feng and I have important business with a few of the other Captains in the morning, and it is far past Yachiru’s bed time. We need our rest, but you girls go along and have fun,” smiled Unohana. “But, do not assume that we do not know about Lieutenant Abarai and company joining you this evening,” she said, her face innocently smiling, though her voice hinted at concealing a more sinister message. “Try not to cause _too_ much trouble, okay?”

            Rukia nodded earnestly.

            “All right, well, goodnight, Ms. Kuchiki,” said Unohana, waving as she and the other women left the Barracks.

            “Goodnight, Captain,” said Rukia, but by this time, the trio had already left.

            Rukia sighed, relieved that the two Captains were not upset about inviting other Soul Reapers to a sleep over for the women. With that thought in mind, Rukia went back into the meeting room.

\---

            The other ladies, particularly Rangiku, were joyous over the news of having new, male players join the game. Minutes passed, but, after the boys noisily entered the room and took their seats along the cushioned floor, the group was finally ready to continue the game.

            “Well done, Rukia,” said Rangiku as she flipped through the photos Rukia had taken of Byakuya’s face on her Soul Pager. “I almost didn’t recognize him. The monocle was a nice touch,” smiled the older woman.

            Rukia grinned back, laughing lightly.

            “All right, Rukia,” called Orihime as she dropped down next to the pixie-like Soul Reaper, “You get to ask someone now.”

            Rukia panned her eyes over the room, unsure of who to pick.

            Finally, her eyes settled on Shuhei.

            “Shuhei,” she said.

            The spiky haired boy turned to Rukia, a daring smirk on his face. “I pick dare.”

            The group made a collective murmur. “All right, well, shut your eyes, plug your ears and go ‘la la la’ until we decide on something,” stated Rukia.

            Shuhei complied and began to chant a mantra of strange phrases in order to block out the sound of the other players’ voices.

            “I think we should dare him to let us give him a makeover,” crooned Orihime, giddy with excitement.

            Rukia shook her head, “That’s good, but there’s got to be something that’ll _really_ bother him-”

            “Make him striptease for us,” interjected Rangiku. The smirk on her face mirrored the one Shuhei had worn only minutes before.

            The girls all exchanged looks of agreement.

            “All right, someone tell him to stop with the chanting,” announced Rangiku.

            Ikkaku promptly whacked Shuhei on the back of his head with the flat of his hand. Shuhei glared at the bald headed man before addressing the girls.

            The ladies of the Seireitei all giggled before Orihime choked out the dare. “We dare you to striptease for us.”

            A chorus of female cheers followed her statement.

            The men in the room all laughed consecutively. Shuhei’s eyes went wide momentarily, but not long after, the look of initial shock was replaced with one of amusement. “As you wish,” he said, his voice a low purr.

            Shuhei slowly got to his feet, his eyes half lidded with what appeared to be lust, as he enticingly ran his hands over his chest and stomach. He kept his eyes on the ladies of the room as he bit his lip, and tugged on the collar of his sleeveless shirt, raising an eye brow at the females.

            The guys groaned, turning away from the sight of Shuhei.

            Rangiku whistled, raising a bottle of sake, urging Shuhei to continue.

            Shuhei slid his hands back down, grabbing at the hem of his shirt.

            He managed to tug it half way up, revealing a fair portion of his toned body, eliciting cries of “damn,” and “take it off!” from the women, before Ikkaku let out an enraged yell and brought a wooden kendo sword straight across Shuhei’s midsection.

            The weapon hit its mark with a _crack_ , and Shuhei doubled over in anguish, clutching at his stomach as he cried out in pain, whilst falling to his knees.

            The girls shouted at Ikkaku for ruining their show. Rangiku threatened to hit the man with her bottle of sake.

            “You are unfit to be called a man!” proclaimed Ikkaku, his face a deep shade of red, due to the ridiculous amount of alcohol he consumed. He menacingly pointed the end of the kendo sword over Shuhei’s back, as if preparing to bring it down once more.

            The other males immediately grabbed Ikkaku and hauled him away from Shuhei’s now hunched figure, tearing the sword out of his grasp.

            Shuhei coughed, his head bowed as he muttered, “Go fuck yourself,” to which Ikkaku proceeded to challenge Shuhei to a fight.

            “ _Hey!_ ” cried the girls in unison.

The boys stopped what they were doing, and turned slowly towards the girls.

            “You’re all going to stop this crap, and we’re going to move on, or we’re kicking you out, and by out, I mean outside of these Barracks,” threatened Rukia.

            The guys assumed their original positions, murmuring various apologies. Shuhei simply curled up on his side against a futon, clutching a pillow to his throbbing chest. He decided to sit out the next couple of rounds.

            “So,” called Shuhei weakly from his sidelong position, “Do I ask someone now?”

            “Yep,” answered Orihime as she crawled over to the fallen Soul Reaper. She gingerly helped him sit up, and handed him a steaming cup of tea. He thanked her, and took a sip of the sweet smelling drink before deciding on his choice.

            “Rangiku,” said Shuhei, “Truth or dare?”

            Rangiku smiled mischievously before answering. “Dare.” The Lieutenant of Squad Ten proceeded to plug her ears, close her eyes, and sing loudly, cuing the others to decide upon her dare.

            The group formed a large huddle around Shuhei’s stationary form, pitching different ideas.

            Rangiku snuck a peek through a barely parted eyelid, noting the rapid hand movements of the players, watching the others laugh as different scenarios were voiced.

            About a minute later, the group had decided upon a dare for the wild Rangiku.

            “All right, Matsumoto,” said Renji, his lips pulled into an honest smile, “We dare you to prank call Captain Hitsugaya.”

            The group cheered in response.

            Rangiku began patting her chest, feeling around for the bump that was her Soul Pager. Upon finding it, she reached her hand into her shirt and pulled out the small flip phone.

            She exhaled, running a hand through her hair as she laughed nervously. She smiled at the group. “He’s going to kill me,” she laughed.

            The others agreed.

“Just do it,” coaxed Renji.

            “All right,” she said, flipping the device open, “fine.”

            She punched a few keys, and hit the ‘speaker’ button. The sound of a dial tone filled the room. The members of the crowd hushed each other, gathering around Rangiku in order to hear the call more clearly.

            After a few seconds, the ringing stopped. The eyes of everyone in the room grew wide. It was silent enough to hear the sound of a heart beating. Yumichiki was forced put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from making any noises.

            “Hello?” said a very tired sounding voice from the other end of the line.

            Everyone exchanged excited looks. A majority of the players assumed Captain Hitsugaya would be busy, or asleep, and would not answer the phone.

            “Captain?” said Rangiku. Her face had panic written all over it. Her voice was a high plea, one that sounded terribly desperate. The other members of the room couldn’t help but wonder what kind of prank call Rangiku had planned for her Captain.

            “Mmm?” said Hitsugaya. The Captain had obviously been asleep, and was still very much doing so. He must have been quite unaware of what was going on.

            “Captain,” said Rangiku, her voice a sweet growl, “I need you.”

            “Yuh need me?” said Hitsugaya, his voice muffled by what was probably a pillow.

            “I want you,” said Rangiku, her face morphing into a mixed expression of pain and hysteria.

“I wan you too, babe,” said Hitsugaya, his voice still stuffy.

Rangiku inhaled sharply and hastily hit the mute button, letting out loud, sobbing laughs.

            Renji fought to stifle his laughter as he instantly wrapped both of his hand around his mouth. Izuru was on his side, shaking once again. Rukia was outright wheezing against Rangiku’s side.

            Shuhei was leaning against Orihime, complaining about how his stomach hurt, but that he couldn’t stop laughing.

            “I can’t do this!” exclaimed Rangiku, “I can’t! It’s _Hitsugaya!_ This is just weird!”

            Momo, who was battling her own bouts of giggles, shook her head. “You should continue.”

            Rukia nodded in agreement. “Please do.”

            Rangiku, now wearing an over exaggerated pout, unmuted the phone.

            Calming her breathing, Rangiku said, “Tell me how much you want me,” her voice low and seductive.

            There was a pause, followed by the sound of ruffling fabrics, coming from Hitsugaya’s end.

            “I wan you _so_ mush,” murmured Hitsugaya.

            In a moment of pure genius, Rukia whispered something to Rangiku, a line to say to Hitsygaya, one she’d heard in the World of the Living.

            Rangiku pinched her wrist in order to stop herself from laughing.

“Talk dirty to me,” she said. She quickly hit the mute button and allowed herself and the others to relieve themselves of their suppressed laughter.

She unmuted the call just as Hitsugaya replied.

“Hmm?” he said, his voice much less muffled.

“I said, talk dirty to me, Captain,” whispered Rangiku as she turned away from the phone, gasping. Her face was bright red, her eyes wide with diluted pupils.

There was another pause, longer this time.

“Is that you, Rangiku?” said Hitsugaya. His voice now held an angry edge that it had not previously.

Everyone looked at each other. Renji swore, and Rangiku clapped the phone shut, ending the call.

It was quiet then, for a good minute, after which, the room erupted in an epiphany of laughter. Tears were shed, stomachs ached, and Rangiku was congratulated for her bravery.

In the midst of the frenzy, Rangiku jokingly said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he came down here himself.”

The crowd of friends laughed in response, shrugging the joke aside.

\---

             Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya frumpily sped through the Seireitei, angrily tugging his pale, blue blanket around his pajama clad body in an attempt to fight off the biting cold wind of the night.

            _Damn that woman_ , thought Hitsugaya, _I cannot even sleep without her doing something idiotic._

            He’d spent the last five minutes tracking down his pitiful Lieutenant via Soul Pager. After discovering that she was in the Squad Six Barracks, he immediately began to make his way there in order to speak to Byakuya, and determine why the man would be allowing such a thing to occur under his watch.

            _This nonsense needs to stop before it gets out of hand_ , he thought, grimacing as various scenarios crossed his mind.

            The images were wiped from his head with a large gust of wind. It pushed against Toshiro, shuffling him forward a few steps. His hair was whipped about wildly, the silver spikes thrashing violently in the gale.

            Captain Hitsugaya made an exasperated noise, and increased his pace.

\---

            Toshiro gingerly cracked open the, private, side door to Captain Kuchiki’s office.

            Light from the outside washed over the interior of the office, bathing everything in a silvery white glimmer.

            The beam crossed the room, and Toshiro was forced to stop in his tracks, pausing where he was with the door partly ajar.

            Seated in a chair, facing a window was the Captain of Squad Six. He sat peacefully, his body relaxed in slumber. It would have appeared to be a completely natural thing to Toshiro, considering that he too had fallen asleep in his office on multiple occasions. However, it was quite unnatural for someone with the status and rank of Byakuya Kuchiki to fall asleep with their face covered in graffiti.

            A crudely drawn monocle, mustache, goatee, and a certain aspect of male anatomy, all adorned Captain Kuchiki’s placid face.

            Toshiro’s eye twitched in rage. With that, he shut the door, and began to head back to his bed, cursing his Lieutenant all the way there.

            _I have never wished to see daylight so dearly in my life_ , thought Toshiro as he flipped open his Soul Pager. The time read 10:47 PM.

Toshiro Hitsugaya groaned loudly, praying for the sun to rise, and for the night to end in peace.

\---

            “Orihime, truth or dare?” asked Rangiku as she slid next to where the young woman sat.

            Orihime pursed her lips, making a fish-like face as she thought over the question.

            “Ahh… Truth!” she replied, enthusiastically shooting both her arms in the air, one of which nearly succeeded in punching the poor, injured Shuhei in the jaw.

            “All right, you know the drill,” said Rangiku.

            Orihime got to her feet and moved to the opposite side of the circle to allow her friends space to determine a question.

            Only seconds after she sat down, Momo called out. “We’re ready!”

            Orihime sat, eagerly awaiting her question. Though she did feel awfully anxious about answering a question, she was not bold enough to perform a dare. She hoped her friends would respect her boundaries when choosing a question.

            “All right, well,” started Momo, glancing at the others before continuing, “We all know how you feel about Ichigo.”

            Orihime’s eyes widened as her cheeks grew warm with a rush of blood. She laughed shyly, rubbing the back of her head with one hand. She’d known that her feelings about Ichigo were strong, but she hadn’t known that everybody else had noticed as well.

            “So, how do you _really_ feel about Ichigo?” asked Momo, her eyes filled with a genuine kindness that reassured Orihime. That look in Momo’s eye reminded her that these were her friends, and that they would not judge her upon what she said.

            Orihime dropped her hands to her lap, her eyes following suit. She stared down as she rubbed the fabric of her shirt between her fingers.

            “I…” she started, looking back up at her friend’s anxious, caring gazes, “I really care about him. I want to protect him like he protects everyone else, and I…” she paused, glancing down again, but quickly righted herself, “I just want him to be happy.” Orihime smiled a tender smile, her eyes lighting up as she did.

            The others mirrored the human girl as a collective sense of security and compassion filled each person in the room. It took bravery to pull a practical joke on a Captain, but it took strength to bare your feelings to a room full of people who you only hope trust you as much as you trust them.

            Rukia, Momo, and Rangiku all ran over to where Orihime sat and pummeled her with a group hug. The boys stood aside, smiling and allowing the girls to have a moment to themselves. Eventually, the group dispersed, once again forming a large circle.

Yumichika was now seated next to Orihime, who was timidly tugging at her shirt. He reached over and gave the girl a friendly pat on the back. Orihime, only slightly startled, turned to him.

Yumichika smiled at her. “Thank you for sharing that with us. That was very brave of you.”

Orihime sat staring blankly at the member of Squad Eleven before she returned his smile with one of her own.

The moment between the pair ended when Nanao Ise called out to Orihime.

“All right,” said the bookish Lieutenant, “Who would you like to go next?"


	3. Limitless

“Ikkaku!” called Orihime.

            The clean shaven Third Seat, seated comfortably between Renji and Momo, cocked his head towards Orihime. “What is it?”

            “Truth or dare?” asked Orihime. She briefly glanced at Yumichikia, noticing the vague smile that adorned his lips.

            Ikkaku, still very tipsy from the alcohol he’d consumed, dramatically contemplated the question. “Uuhh… Let’s go with truth.”

            “All right, big guy, here we go,” said Renji playfully, as he reached over and cupped his hands over Ikkaku’s ears. The others all began conversing over Ikkaku’s question.

            After a few minutes, the group had decided upon a question for the barren headed man. Renji took his hands off of Ikkaku’s head, smirking as he did so.

            With great relish, Yumichika voiced the question.

            “Which of the ladies, present or not, do you find the most attractive?”

            Ikkaku appeared to be incredibly confused. He squinted, looked around the room, rubbed his chin, and murmured softly to himself.

            After many minutes of this, the bare headed Third Seat settled his eyes on Renji.

            Ikkaku stared at Renji, still squinting. “Well, this lovely lady right here,” Ikkaku stated thickly. It was clear that Ikkaku was very, very intoxicated, and the others, particularly Renji and Orihime, were regretting the fact that he was chosen to play this round. “Why don’t I take you back to my place and-” Ikkaku did not get to finish his question.

            Renji scowled indignantly and smacked Ikkaku on the side of his head. It was the kind of hit meant to knock someone out of a stupor, as opposed to knocking their teeth out.

            “Hey! What the hell was that for?” roared Ikkaku. The slim man had gotten to his feet and was towering threateningly over Renji’s seated figure.

            Renji, now aggravated for being mistaken for a female, by a drunken man or not, rose to his full height as well.

            “You were _flirting_ with me, Ikkaku,” said Renji, his voice overflowing with displeasure and embarrassment. Renji knew his hair was long, but he assumed it was so in a more rugged and masculine form. This incident made him consider getting a haircut more than ever before.

            A befuddled expression blossomed over Ikkaku’s features. “I did what now?” asked Ikkaku, glancing around for confirmations or denials by the other members of the room.

            Renji simply nodded as he sunk back down to the floor.

            Ikkaku groaned, blatantly upset with himself. He dropped to the floor in an instant, his backside hitting the thin futon beneath him with a weak _thud_. He put his head in his hands for a moment, muttering, “No, no, no,” under his breath. In a flash, Ikkaku raised his head and put his hand on the knees of his crossed legs, wildly looking around the room.

            “Girl,” called Ikkaku in his strange way of addressing Orihime, “Give me a dare to restore my pride as the Third Seat of Squad Eleven.” Ikkaku bowed his head, “I deserve punishment.”

            Nobody quite knew what to say in response, but, they agreed to his request, and gathered around in a separate huddle to discuss potential dares for the guilt stricken man.

            Moments later, the crowd split up. It was Rangiku that voiced the dare.

            “We dare you to dance to a song of Yumichika’s choosing, one off of Orihime’s phone, outside of Captain Zaraki’s window for the duration of the song, without getting killed, and you are not allowed to know what song you’ll be dancing to until you get there.”

            Ikkaku was already on his feet before Rangiku finished speaking. “Fuck it,” he said, turning to Yumichicka, “Let’s go.”

            “Wait, let me find a song,” said the Fifth Seat as he scrolled through song after song on Orihime’s cell phone. Out of nowhere, he began to laugh. “Oh, this one,” he said, “This is the perfect song.” He held the phone out for Rangiku and Orihime to see.

            The two women nearly doubled over in laughter. They agreed that it was indeed the most appropriate song for the occasion.

            With all things settled, Ikkaku and Yumichikia departed for the Squad Eleven Barracks.

\---

             Ten minutes and five, boisterous arguments later, the Third and Fifth Seats of Squad Eleven arrived at their destination.

            Ikkaku crept up to Captain Kenpachi Zaraki’s window and slowly pried it up so that the sound of the music might waft it. The dare would not be sufficient if the Captain did not notice what was going on outside his window.

            “Are you ready?” Yumichika asked, shivering as the wind blew through his light blue workout pants and thin, purple t-shirt. His hair danced about his face, and he delicately raised a hand to keep it from getting in his eyes.

            Ikkaku, dressed in a pair of grey sweat pants and a white, sleeveless shirt, stood parallel to the window, stretching in preparation. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

            Yumichika raised his eye brows and pressed the play button on Orihime’s device.

\---

            The bed creaked as Kenpachi Zaraki rolled over. He kept hearing this noise, this grating, little sound, that reminded him of an insect buzzing by his ear. The large man groaned and forced himself to a sitting position. He looked around the room, his eyes narrowing at the sight of his window.

            _Funny_ , he thought, _I swear I shut that thing before I went to sleep_.

            As he got up to close the window, Kenpachi noticed that the noise’s volume was increasing.

            He took two large strides and stood in front of the window, looking out into the night. What he saw was disturbing, to say the least.

            His Fifth Seat, Yumichika Ayasegawa stood in a dainty little pose, shaking periodically with what was probably laughter, holding out a small, silver device that looked like a Soul Pager.  That tiny piece of metal was blaring a song of some kind, in which the lyrics focused on a girl who whipped her ‘hair back and forth’ too frequently for it to be healthy.

Out in the middle of his yard, in front of his window was his Third Seat, Ikkaku Madarame, his legs outstretched in a squatting position, with his hands on his knees as he violently whipped his head in a circular motion in tune with the music.

            _What the actual fuck is going on?_ thought Kenpachi, squinting as he witnessed a bald man whip his ‘hair back and forth’.

            After another fifteen seconds of watching this utter insanity occur outside of his window, Kenpachi realized that he just did not give a fuck about his two seated members, and just wanted to get the hell back to sleep.

            “Hey, Ikkaku,” growled Kenpachi as he leaned out of the window, his large hands bracing himself against the window sill.

            Ikkaku and Yumichika both jumped at the sound of their Captain’s voice.

            “Yes, sir?” called the pair in unison.

            Yumichika had had enough sense to shut off the music, and Ikkaku now stood straight as a pillar, with not even his clothes being disturbed by the wind.

            “Get the fuck out of here before I decide to tear you to shreds,” rumbled the Captain.

            “Yes sir!” said the pair, and in a split second, the two men had disappeared into the night.

 Kenpachi promptly shut the window and drew the blinds to prevent further disturbances.

            _Huh_ , thought Kenpachi as he lumbered back to his bed, _Good riddance. I’ve got some real idiots on my Squad_.

            With that, the Captain of Squad Eleven pulled up his covers and turned in for the second time that night.

\---

            Yumichika and Ikkaku burst into the meeting room, panting and laughing at the same time.

            “I,” Yumichika gasped, struggling to catch his breath, “I caught it all on camera.”

            The room exploded with the sound of cheering as Yumichika pulled out the phone and began to play back the video of Ikkaku dancing for the crowd. By the time everyone had finished watching the video, everyone’s stomachs were sore and all eyes were red with tears.

            Ikkaku smacked his friend on the back of his head, eliciting an “Ow!” from the graceful Yumichika. “That’s what you get for putting me on camera without telling me first,” said Ikkaku as he made his way back to the centre of the room.

            “Well, I did it,” Ikkaku said proudly. “Now, as for who’s next…”

            The group shuffled back into their circular formation, still recoiling from the intense laugh they’d all shared.

            “All right, asshole,” said Ikkaku as he turned to Yumichika, “Truth or dare?”

            Yumichika gracefully ran a hand through his thick, black hair, gently nudging the feathers at his brow as he did so. “Truth,” he said, lowering his lashes at the group, “Hit me with everything you’ve got.”

            A faint, “what the fuck are you doing?” was heard, and Ikkaku backhanded Yumichika across the face.

            Yumichika lay on his stomach his hands pressed to his face as he tried to soothe the pain.

             Ikkaku scoffed. “He asked for it.”

            Several people rolled their eyes before coming together to determine a question for the beautiful Fifth Seat.

            Surprisingly, it was the quiet Nemu Kurotsuchi that came up with a delightful question for Yumichika. As such, she was the one who posed it to him.

            “You must point out the most irritating aspect of each individual present.”

            Yumichika, now sitting with his palm pressed against his cheek, his eyebrows drawn together in discomfort, blinked at the group. “Forget it,” he said, turning away, “Give me a dare instead.”

            Before anyone could begin to think of a dare, Nemu spoke up again.

            “We _dare_ you to point out the most irritating aspect of each individual present,” she stated in a bland tone.

            Yumichika groaned. “I really don’t want to do it,” he said rubbing his temples with his fingertips, “I don’t want to make enemies out of my friends.”

            The guys all exchanged looks and crowded around Yumichika.

            “Do it,” said Shuhei, his voice flat, leaving no room for argument.

            “Suck it up and get on with it,” growled Ikkaku.

            “We’re not going to get mad at you,” Renji said, thumping Yumichika on the back just a bit too hard for it to be completely friendly.

            Hesitantly, Yumichika agreed. “But, I’m only doing it for you guys. I do not feel like having these lovely ladies attempt to spill my blood tonight.”

            Yumichika took a deep breath, and shut his eyes. He organized his thoughts as best as he could, and opened his eyes.

            “Ikkaku,” Yumichika said, “You are blood thirst _brute_ and it is extremely unattractive.”

            He turned to Shuhei, “ _You_ ,” he started, not making eye contact with the Lieutenant of Squad Nine, “You act like you are the hottest goddamn being to walk to planet. You’re not. Get a hold of yourself. You have a fucking sex position tattooed on your face. Get real, sweet heart.” Yumichika heard Shuhei laughing nearby.

“Renji,” Yumichika said, turning his face towards the long haired Lieutenant of Squad Six. Renji raised an eyebrow in question. “You are a fucking idiot,” said Yumichika plainly.

“And you, Izuru,” Yumichika called as Izuru ducked down trying to hide more than half of his face with his bangs, “Your entire fucking face pisses me off. You look like you’re always about to cry,” spat Yumichika, “Lighten the fuck up.”

            Flipping back his hair, Yumichika paused. “There. I’m done.”

            Silence followed for a few moments.

Faster than anyone could blink, all of the other men ganged up on Yumichika, crowding around the seated man like a herd of angry Menos hollows. Yumichika yelped out a multitude of apologies.

However, before things could escalate, the ladies of the room all hounded the boys, pulling them far, far away from the fear stricken Yumichika. Orihime, just for good measure, smacked the boy on the back of the head, making him cough out another apology.

It took another ten minutes to calm everybody down, after which, Yumichika mustered up enough courage to call out Izuru Kira.

“Truth or dare?” asked Yumichika as he shook faintly in Orihime’s arms.

Izuru sighed, looking down at the floor. He did _not_ want to do a dare, but he didn’t want to get made fun of for being the only guy who didn’t do one yet. Sighing, Izuru muttered, “dare.”

            The group reformed on the other side of the room, and after a minute or two of consulting one another, they sat back down in a circle to tell Izuru the news.

            Still laughing over the topic of the dare, Shuhei Hisagi spit out the request.

            “We dare you to go seduce your Captain, right now.”

            Izuru’s face paled. “You want me to _what?_ ”

            Shuhei laughed. “We want you to seduce Gin Ichimaru, right now. If you refuse, one of us-” Yumichika rapidly shot an arm into the air, “-will drag you there, kicking and screaming or not.”

            Izuru looked down again, a look of pure horror on his face. He stayed like that for about thirty seconds, after which he slowly stood up.

            “Fine,” he mumbled, “Let’s go.”

\---

            It took thirteen minutes for Yumichika to escort the protesting, and second guessing man that was Izuru Kira to the Squad Three Barracks. The blond boy had a grimace on his face for the entire walk, and it remained there as he stood outside of Captain Gin Ichimaru’s window.

            “I don’t think I can do this,” whispered Izuru, his voice clipped with fear and repulsion.

            “Sure you can,” chirped Yumichika, patting Izuru on the shoulder, “Just go in, snuggle a bit, and bolt before he, you know, _takes that which you cannot get back_.”

            Izuru gulped. “Fuck it,” he said, and made his way to the window.

            The wood and glass frame was slightly open, leaving enough room for Izuru to wiggle his fingers under and force the thing open. Stealthily, Izuru slipped into Gin’s bedroom.

\---

            It was dark inside the Captain's room. Light from the outside cast Izuru's tall, thin, shadow over Gin's bed, pointing out where exactly the Captain of Squad Three was laying.

Izuru grimaced once again and made his way to his Captain's bedside. His shadow loomed over the lumpy mass of bedding that was Gin Ichimaru.

Gin was asleep on his side with his back to Izuru. His pale head of hair peeked out of his blanket cocoon, a light spot in a room of shadows. Gin's breathing pattern was strange, and he seemed to sigh dreamily with every exhale.

 

_I'm either going to get demoted or lose my virginity doing this,_ thought Izuru painfully as he ever so carefully folded back the sheet upon Gin's bed and painstakingly slid in behind his Captain.

Izuru swore mentally as he pulled the sheets around himself, feeling the bed creak slightly under his weight, and his Captain's body heat under the blankets.

_God have mercy_ , he thought as he wrapped an arm around Gin's waist, tucking himself against Gin's back.

\---

Gin woke slowly and quickly at the same time.

_My, what is this_? he thought, glancing down at the pale arm that was around his waist. He immediately recognized the long, calloused fingers of his Lieutenant. _Oh, Izuru. Just what have you gotten yourself into?_ Gin sighed as he exhaled. _Well_ , Gin thought, _I might as well have a little fun with him._

\---

Izuru was nearly wheezing in fear, praying that his Captain would do anything but wake up. But, as luck would have it, the Captain did just that.

Izuru felt Gin shift into him, his back pressing against Izuru's chest. "Mmmm, who's there?" moaned Gin, his voice heavy with tiredness.

Izuru gulped. "It's me, Captain," he whispered. His voice came out growl-like and raspy, and Izuru kicked himself internally for that. _He's probably going to thing I said it like that on purpose._

"Izuru?" breathed Gin, "Mmm, your skin is soft," he said as he trailed his own fingers over the flesh of Izuru's arm.

_Can I just hold my breath and kill myself?_ thought Izuru.

Gin sighed again as he tactfully grabbed Izuru's arm and raised it. The Captain of Squad Three then turned over to face Izuru, placing Izuru arm back around his waist, as he pressed his palm against Gin's hip.

\---

_Oh my, he looks pitiful_ , thought Gin, as he struggled to keep the smile on his face from growing any wider than his default one already was. Izuru looked like he was going to throw up, soil himself, or both. _Hm, just what should I do with you, Izuru?_

Gin lifted one of his own slender hands, and began sensually tracing a line down the side of his Lieutenant's jaw, marveling at the structure of his face as he did so.

_You poor boy,_ thought Gin, _You should really work on getting yourself a girlfriend._

Gin exhaled slowly to stop himself from laughing. _Now the fun stuff begins_.

"I've always wanted to do this," said Gin. He had to work extra hard to make his voice sound seductive, rather than cheerfully goading. He wanted to tease Izuru, but if he was laughing the entire time, nothing would come of his efforts.

\---

Izuru wanted to pull back the moment Gin put his fingers on his face.

He forced himself to stare into the icy blue eyes of his Captain as the periwinkle haired man traced his jaw, his nose, and his lips.

_Kill me now_ , thought Izuru tonelessly.

\---

Gin slipped an arm under Izuru's hip, rolling him over so that Gin was straddling the younger man.

_You look so helpless_ , thought Gin, _and I'm not sure how I feel about that._ He blinked, brushing back Izuru's bangs, _But, I shall keep this up until you run screaming from this bed._ Gin ran his fingers through Izuru’s bangs. _I_ know _you really don't want to be in here._

"Relax," Gin sighed, his voice thick with lust, "I'll take it from here."

\---

Izuru could only watch as his Captain slowly lowered his lips to his.

\---

Outside of the bedroom, Yumichika stood, phone camera at the ready, videotaping the entire ordeal between Izuru and Gin.

He giggled girlishly as he saw Gin lean over Izuru, his straight, fair hair falling over his face.

_Here it comes_ , thought Yumichika as he bit his lip, forcing down another laugh.

\---

"Captain," Izuru choked, as Gin's lips were only a few millimeters away from his own. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

Gin sighed, clearly disappointed. He looked away from Izuru as he removed himself from his position over the blond man.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Izuru said once again before practically sprinting right back out the window.

"Oh, Izuru," Gin said, "Why do you apologize?"

Gin's smile grew wider, "That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"But, I have to wonder, just what did you so to get yourself into this mess?" Gin tilted his head to one side, "My poor, little Izuru."

Gin sighed as he dropped back onto his bed, attempting to fall asleep again.

The captain of squad three couldn't help but be distracted by how much his sheets now smelled like his Lieutenant.

\---

  **Author's Note** : I just wanted to say that this chapter, out of all of them, was my favourite to write. My best friend came up with Ikkaku's dare and to this day, just thinking about it makes me laugh. Thanks for that great idea, Jace.


	4. Revelations

Izuru did not get off easy once he returned to the Barracks. He was laughed at, and made a mockery of, but for some odd reason, this did not particularly bother the blond haired Lieutenant. He felt like he belonged with these people.

            Though they’d just humiliated him in front of his Captain, and evidence of the act remained on a video recording, he felt pleased to be a part of this group. He smiled softly as he settled down onto a plush throw blanket. He didn’t feel one bit out of place.

 His face was reddened, not from lust, as the others jokingly assumed, but out of pure embarrassment. He had just done something with his Captain that he hadn’t even dared do with any of the women who had caught his eye in his lifetime. Izuru drew his eyebrows together, his normally painful expression appearing more extreme. He did regret what he’d done, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped.

What’s worse was that he’d done the dare with his _Captain_. He could never hope of not confronting the incident at some point. It wasn’t as if he was one of the many other, lower ranking members of Squad Three that he’d never run into again. No, it was his Captain, and he, a Lieutenant, had no chance of avoiding what he’d done.

Izuru raked a hand through his bangs as he dreaded the moment when Captain Ichimaru would eventually bring up the events of the night.

            However, with Renji patting his back in congratulations for completing his task, and Rangiku snorting with laughter as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a half hug, Izuru felt anything but isolated, and slightly less worried than he usually was.

            Izuru was reserved and orderly, but his friends did nothing to make a big show out of it. They accepted him, they respected him, and they cared about him. It was everything Izuru could ask for in a group of companions. It was everything, and more.

            “Okay, okay, let’s move on, everybody!” called Renji as he sat down next to Rukia. He reached around her and began to tickle her midsection, making the small Soul Reaper squeal. She yelled and tried to get away from Renji, but only succeeded in tipping herself over in laughter. Renji smiled broadly and turned to Izuru. “Pick someone,” said Renji as he pulled Rukia back to a sitting position.

            Izuru riffled through the faces of the people around him.

            “Lieutenant Ise?” he said timidly.

            Nanao Ise, Lieutenant of Squad Eight, was wearing a simple black t-shirt and black shorts. She turned to Izuru and pushed her thin, oval-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Please, just call me Nanao, Izuru,” she said, “I’ll take truth.”

            The crowd of friends whispered excitedly amongst each other, and determined a good question for Nanao.

            “In your opinion, we want to know who you think is the most physically attractive male and female individual in the Seireitei,” stated Isane Kotestsu, the Lieutenant of Squad Four.

            Nanao blinked. “Male _and_ female?” she questioned, “I am very straight, thank you very much.”

            “Oh, we know,” chimed Rangiku, “But we’re still curious.”

            Nanao exhaled, feeling both annoyed and uncaring. _I might as well get this over with,_ she thought.

            “Physically attractive male…” she began, pausing for a moment, “I…” she stopped as her cheeks grew flush, “Captain Kyoraku. That’s my answer.”

            Various individuals shouted “I knew it,” and “aw,” all of which made Nanao blush even more. _Had the others really known about my feelings towards my Captain?_ she thought. _Has it really been that obvious?_

            Regardless of the answer, she was not done with her question just yet.

            “As for a female,” Nanao started, turning away from the group, “Rukia,” she mumbled.

            Nanao turned back to see Rukia, now seated on a cushion in Renji’s lap, blush and smile at Nanao. “Thank you for your honesty, Nanao,” said the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen.

            Nanao looked away, shoving her glasses up once more. “Think nothing of it,” she muttered.

            Nanao then realized that it was her turn to call on another player. She looked up, and made her choice.

            “Renji, truth or dare?” asked the bookish Lieutenant.

            Renji, who was sitting with his arms loosely draped over Rukia’s shoulders, thought about his answer before vocalizing it.

            “Dare,” he said, raising his eyebrows in a gesture of provocation.

            Rukia freed herself from her friend’s arms and ran to the other side of the room where the others began discussing Renji’s dare.

            The long haired Lieutenant plugged his ears and began to hum. He kept his eyes open, though, and watched as Izuru got particularly involved with the generation of his challenge. _I wonder what he’s up to_ , thought Renji idly.

            Seconds later, the group reformed its circular shape, prepared to launch Renji on a new task.

            “Ready, Renji?” Izuru asked, attempting to fight a big, goofy, smile from taking over his face. The smile won out in the end, and Izuru grinned at Renji, the highs of his cheeks glowing.

            Renji shrugged. “Yeah, get on with it.”

            “We dare you to first escort the lovely Orihime Inoue back home to the World of the Living.”

            Renji sighed. He’d been expecting a much more difficult task. “All right,” said Renji as he got to his feet, “Let’s go, Orihime.”

            Orihime stood up and placed herself at Renji’s side. She smiled up at him, and Renji returned the gesture.

            “Hold up there, big guy,” said Izuru, “You’re not done here yet.”

            Renji narrowed his eyes. “Just what are you saying?”

            Izuru’s lips broke into a semi-apologetic grin. “After you get Orihime home safely, you have to go to Ichigo Kurosaki’s house and” Izuru stopped to grimace, “do to him what I did to my Captain.” Izuru practically groaned the last part, his mind over flowing with the unpleasant memories.

            Renji’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “I have to…”

            The members of the group simply nodded.

            _There is no way this will turn out right_ , thought Renji, briefly glacing at Orihime. _Fuck it. I might even get a laugh out of this._

“Fine,” Renji said grudgingly, as he led Orihime through the Senkaimon that Rukia had opened while he’d been standing still. Hell Butterflies trailed behind the pair as they departed, and Renji could only hope things wouldn’t take a turn for the worst.

\---

            Half an hour later, Renji Abarai stood in front of the Kurosaki household, staring up at Ichigo’s window.

It wasn’t as windy in the World of the Living as it was back in the Seireitei. The burgundy and emerald leaves of the nearby trees rustled drily in the breeze, the air stale and muggy, rather than biting and chill, as it was in the Seireitei.

The sky was wearing a cloak of no particular color, one that was the blackest of blues that shifted and shone with every passing cloud, with every breath of the wind, and with every flick of a leaf as it tore through the night, perched upon the back of the speeding gale.

The street itself was dark and lifeless, seeing as were the dead of night and everyone was asleep. The sound of the city off in the distance knocked Renji from his state of simple observation, and he began to recall why he was standing and admiring the beauty of the World of the Living in the first place.

            Renji had abandoned his Shihakusho for a pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt back in the Seireitei. The warm breeze dishevelled Renji’s long, crimson hair, making the thick, red locks dance about his face. It was quiet, and Renji could hear the sounds of cars driving off in the distance, the noise muted and delayed. It smelled of food and family, and Renji yawned as memories of his soft bed back in the Seireitei resurfaced. 

            Sighing, Renji pulled his Soul Pager out from his pocket and dialed Rukia’s number. She picked up on the fourth ring.

            “Renji?” said Rukia.

            “Yeah,” he said, running a hand through his hair, glancing up at Ichigo’s window, “I don’t think I can do this.”

            There was a loud ruffling sound. “Renji, just do it,” said the annoyed voice of Rangiku.

            “But-” Renji protested, only to be cut off.

            “Do it, and record it, or we won’t open up the Senkaimon,” threatened the busty Lieutenant of Squad Ten.

            “Fuck,” said Renji, dropping his gaze to the gavel beneath his feet. He looked back up at the window, the light of the moon glinting sharply off of the glass panels. “All right, bye.”

            Renji shut the device off, pocketed it, and Flash Stepped to Ichigo’s roof, just outside of the window.

            _Here goes nothing_ , Renji thought as he gingerly heaved the window open.

            The Lieutenant of Squad Six bit his lip as he slithered into Ichigo’s bedroom, barely making a sound.

\---

            Once on the inside, Renji leapt over Ichigo’s bed where the spiky haired Substitute Soul Reaper slept, his face to the window.

            Renji pulled open Ichigo’s closet and propped his Soul Pager up on a shelf. He selected the video feature, hit record, and set the device in its place. He then slowly made his way to Ichigo’s bed.

            _Fucking hell_ , cursed Renji as he stood over Ichigo. _He might punch me_.

            Renji huffed mentally as he lowered himself onto Ichigo’s bed. The structure creaked, and Renji froze, his mouth forming an ‘O’, his eyes immense.

            Ichigo did not stir.

            Renji exhaled slowly, feeling very relieved, and let himself lay on his side.

            _He better not wake up_ , thought Renji as he tucked an arm under his head.

\---

            Ichigo Kurosaki hazily woke up from his peaceful slumber.

            His eyes were greeted by the gorgeous image of the moon beyond his windows, the thin curtains flapping in the wind.

            _I thought shut that window before I went to bed_ , he thought, his eyes gradually falling closed.

            Just then, Ichigo felt something warm and heavy fall across his midsection.

            His eyes shot open, and he saw a lean, muscled arm resting across his waist.

            Ichigo’s heart skipped a beat. He attempted to roll onto his back, got halfway there, and yelled out a terrified scream.

            The orange haired boy shuffled backwards and fell off of his bed, landing hard on the floor between his bed and the window. Deep, silky laughter followed his tumble.

            Lying beside him with his tattooed brows raised and an extensive smirk adorning his features was Renji Abarai.

            Panting Ichigo stood up. “What the _fuck_ are you doing here?” shouted Ichigo.

            Renji sighed and sat up, leaning against Ichigo’s head board. “I was dared-,” said Renji.

            “Dared to do what? Scare me shitless?” cried Ichigo. “Well, congratulations! You succeeded.”

            Renji chuckled. “I was actually dared to seduce you,” Renji explained. “Be thankful I didn’t do much more.” Renji paused. “Be thankful that you woke up when you did.”

            Ichigo’s face twisted into an expression of horror and disgust. He looked up afterwards, then back at Renji. “Why me?” asked Ichigo sleepily, “and just who the fuck came up with a dare like that?” 

            The pair remained silent for a few minutes, listening to the noises of the night that came from beyond Ichigo’s window.

            The Substitute Soul Reaper sighed, dropping back down onto his bed. “Can I go back to sleep now?” he asked, clearly exhausted.

            Renji smiled apologetically. “Yeah, sorry about this. That was as awkward as it was for you as it was for me.”

            “Yeah, I’m sure,” Ichigo shrugged, tucking himself back under his blankets as Renji grabbed his Soul Pager and clambered over the windowsill. “Forget about it, though,” said Ichigo, his voice muffled by the pillows and blankets that surrounded his head. “Just shut the window on your way out.”

            “Sure thing,” Renji said, lowering the window, “Good night.”

            “Good night,” Ichigo replied, as his friend disappeared into the dark.

\---

            The occupants of the Squad Six Barracks’ meeting room laughed rambunctiously over the footage of Ichigo falling off his bed at the sight of Renji appearing in it.

            “That was too good,” said Yumichika, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “But, Izuru’s was better.”

            Renji rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and thank God for that.”

Yumichika smiled and patted Renji on the shoulder before waltzing back to his spot on the floor.

            Everyone’s laughter slowly died down as the group resumed its original circle shape.

            “All right, Renji,” said Rukia as she playfully bumped Renji’s arm, “Pick someone.”

            Renji tapped his chin, weighing his options.

            “You two,” he said, gesturing at Isane and Kiyone Kotetsu, “Truth or dare?”

            The two sisters consulted each other, speaking heatedly for a few moments before turning back to Renji.

            “Truth,” the two girls said in unison.

            Everyone began to move in order to discuss questions, but Rangiku stopped their progress partway. “I have a question,” she said, her tone filled with devious intent.

            Isane and Kiyone exchanged glances. “All right, what is it?”

            Rangiku giggled. “Tell us about your most private sexual fantasies.”

            Isane gasped and Kiyone snickered.

“You go first, sis,” prodded the younger Kotetsu.

            Isane sighed and looked downwards, tracing circles on the pillow below her with her index finger. The few long strands of fair, silver hair she had fell forward over her shoulder, the beads she wore tinkling slightly as she moved. A blush crept into her cheeks as she began to speak.

            “I always try to please Captain Unohana,” she said, refusing to look up, “but, I do wonder if she’d ever want to try and please me, but not quite in the same way.” Isane briefly glanced up to see the faces of the males present all flush, their cheeks flaming.

            “That’s actually-”started Shuhei.

            “-really hot,” finished Renji.

            “Oh, shut up,” Rukia crowed as she smacked Renji in the back of the head.

            Isane turned to her sister, attempting to hide her reddened face from the crowd.

            Kiyone stared at the patrons of the room, considering how to word her answer. Her eyes were wide, but unlike her sister, she did not blush as easily.

            “Well,” she started, batting her eyelashes childishly, “Let me just say that I wish I could do much, _much_ more for Captain Ukitake than take care of him when he’s sick.” Her eyes flickered around the room. “I’ll just leave it at that,” she finished, giggling as she began to blush. The blond Co-third Seat of Squad Thirteen rubbed the back of her head, feeling proud of herself for being brave enough to answer the question.

            A resonate “Oooh,” echoed around the room, and Kiyone and Isane both giggled. Isane then whispered Kiyone, who nodded in agreement.

            “Momo!” called Kiyone, “Truth or dare.”

            The small, brown haired Lieutenant turned to the sisters. She blinked for a moment, and smiled. “I’ll do truth, please.”


	5. How Far Will You Go

 “Momo,” said Rangiku, sliding across the floor to the smaller girl’s side, “I know you, and I know you’re _much_ more daring than you come off to be.”

             Momo Hinamori looked away from Rangiku, nervously laughing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

            “Oh, come on,” goaded Rangiku, leaning her lips close to Momo’s ear, “Just go with dare.”

            Momo shook her head. “No thanks, I’ll just stick with truth.”

            Rangiku pouted. “Are you sure?”

            Momo nodded.

            Rangiku beamed. “Well, if that’s what you want…” Ragiku lowered her lashes at the Lieutenant of Squad Five. “But, I guess I’ll have to tell everyone about that one time where-”

            Momo yelped. “No, no! There’s no need for any of that!” She let out another bout of nervous chuckles. She ducked her head down, her forehead shadowed by her chocolate brown bangs. “I guess I’ll be doing a dare then.”

            “Yay!” exclaimed Rangiku.

            Momo sat with her hands over her ears, watching as her friends spoke earnestly about a dare.

            _I hope it’s nothing too bad_ , thought Momo. She looked down at what she wore: a pair of black shorts and a thin, green t-shirt. _They got me to switch out of my usual pajamas. Just what else might they have me do?_

            “All right, Momo! We’ve got a good one for you,” called Renji.

            Momo smiled a tight smile. “What is it?” she asked meekly.

            Rangiku and Izuru exchanged a look before grinning and turning to Momo.

            “We dare you to pull a prank on Captain Aizen.”

            Momo’s face grew pale. “I…” she gulped, “I could never!” She shook her head violently. “No. Absolutely not.”

            Rangiku sighed dramatically as she pulled Momo to her feet. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” she coaxed, “Captain Aizen will be just fine with it. Besides,” she said, gesturing to Izuru, “Izuru and I are going to help you pull it off.” Izuru nodded in agreement.

            Momo grimaced, contemplating many things at once. _Should I do it? Will Captain Aizen be upset with me? How would I even go about doing such a thing?_

            “Relax, would you?” said Rangiku, slinging an arm around Momo’s shoulders. “I know just the guy to help us with something like this.”

            Rangiku grabbed Momo and Izuru’s wrists. “Come on,” she said, pulling the two friends out of the room. “Let’s do this!”

\---

            “You want to pull a prank on Sosuke? My, that’s a rather ambitious goal, don’t you think?” crooned Captain Gin Ichimaru.

            Izuru was standing slightly behind Rangiku, internally denying that his Captain had winked and waved at him when the trio had arrived.  Momo stood in front of Rangiku, between Gin and the older woman, with Rangiku’s hands on her shoulders, holding Momo in place.

            The four Soul Reapers stood on the front balcony outside of Gin’s quarters. The red painted wooden structure was illuminated both silver and gold by the moon and the lanterns in the area. The wind was still blowing, and leaves twirled through the air.

            Gin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I say you should send him shopping.”

            “Shopping?” asked Izuru, who instantly regretted his decision to speak. Gin looked over Rangiku’s shoulder and cocked his head at his Lieutenant. Izuru attempted to cower away without looking like he was doing so.

            “Yes, shopping,” said Gin. The pale haired Captain paused for a moment, the wind setting his hair askew as he thought something over. “You know what? Just leave this to me. I’ll get Sosuke all warmed up for you,” he promised. “You head on back to your little party, okay?”

            “If you say so,” Rangiku shrugged as she started to lead Momo and Izuru back to the Squad Six Barracks.

            “Just one thing,” Gin called as he tilted his head to one side, “I’ll be giving you a call later, Rangiku. Be sure to pick up.”

            Rangiku shrugged again, “Yeah, sure thing,” she said, as she Flash Stepped away, leaving Gin all by himself.

            With that, the Captain of Squad Three turned away and began heading towards the Squad Five Barracks.

            _Well, this is turning out to be quite the interesting night_ , Gin thought, as his smile grew slightly wider than it traditionally was.

\---

            _It’s been two hours and I still have not gotten back to my bed yet,_ thought Toshiro Hitsugaya, his mental voice thick with anger. _If Rangiku was not such a nuisance, I would not have been out here in the first place. Damn that woman._

            Toshiro was about to continue storming past the various Barracks and buildings in the Seireitei, when he heard the faint chatter of voices in the near distance. He froze and ducked behind a nearby wall as he heard one of the speakers mention a name: Momo Hinamori.

            _Just who would be having a conversation about Momo at this hour?_ he fumed.

            Toshiro was at a corner just beside the Squad Five Barracks. He stopped, narrowing his eyes, as he leaned against the stone wall. He dipped towards the sound, sticking part of his face out from behind his hiding spot as he began to eavesdrop on the conversation. 

            “…Lieutenant? Could she not ask me herself?”

            _That’s Aizen,_ concluded Hitsugaya _. But, who is he speaking to?_

            “Oh, I’m afraid she was a bit caught up with other matters. I’m sure you understand, Sosuke.”

            _Ichimaru,_ thought Hitsugaya as he brought his brows together in a state of undaunted rage.

\---

            “I see,” said Aizen, his tone nonchalant. “So, just what did she come to speak to you about?”

            The Captain of Squad Five was not entirely concerned about his Lieutenant’s reasons for speaking to Gin, but he was indeed slightly curious.

            Gin laughed lightly. “Well, she handed me this paper, and asked me to deliver it to you. She said it was for your eyes only.” Gin deftly slipped his hand out from within his sleeve and handed Aizen a folded square of paper.

            Aizen took the slip, eyeing Gin as he did so. He unfolded the sheet and raised his eyebrows as he began to read the contents of the note out loud.

            “Lacy, black and pink lingerie, and” Aizen smirked, “condoms? Just what does my Lieutenant need these for?”

             Gin giggled playfully.

\---

            Toshiro Hitsugaya’s face was as red as the blood that has been set boiling with in him. _Momo_ , he growled mentally, _what do you think you’re doing?_

            “She said she needed them for her date with my little Izuru tomorrow,” said Gin.

            Toshiro had to physically force himself to stay quiet, not run out from his location, and brutally murder the Captain of Squad Three.

            _Izuru Kira,_ seethed Toshiro. _You better hope that I do not find you tonight._

            With that, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya set off to find the Squad Six Barracks once again.

            _That blond haired bastard shall die tonight._

\---

            “A date with Izuru?” Aizen clarified. He was quite astounded that Momo, _his_ Lieutenant Momo, would be open about something as intimate as a date.

            _She’s normally so reserved and conservative,_ thought Aizen, slightly mystified by this revelation. _Why have I never noticed this side of her before?_

             “That’s right. She said she’d give you a call later tonight when you’re picking up her things,” said Gin, tilting his head at Aizen.

            Aizen looked down at the list again. The wind chose that precise moment to gust by the two men, and Aizen was forced to pocket the note as he drew his Captain’s robe around him. Gin simply stood before him, his own robes flapping about his slender frame.

            “I don’t think I can do this tonight, Gin,” Aizen said, forcing a regretful tone into his words.

            Gin dipped his head to the other side. “Oh? And why is that?”

            Aizen didn’t answer.

            “Well, your Lieutenant would be awfully disappointed to learn that her Captain had failed to do one, simple task for her, when she’d done a countless many for him,” prodded Gin.

            Aizen sighed. “Why don’t you go in my place?”

            Gin shook his head. “No can do. She’d said that the note was just for you. She’d be terribly upset if she found out that I had ended up discovering its contents.”

            Aizen looked away from Gin. _Either I don’t go and have come up with a valid excuse, endure a painful conversation with her later, and apologize, or go, and not be bothered with this ever again._

            Aizen regarded Gin. “All right,” he said, “I shall head out now.” Aizen paused. “When did she say she was going to call?”

            “Hmm? Oh, I don’t quite remember, but I think you’d better be on your way before she does,” said Gin smoothly.

            “Very well then,” replied Aizen, as he turned away from Gin, Flash Stepping towards the shopping centres of the Seireitei.

            Gin sighed dreamily. “Well, I’d better go find Toshiro before he tries to hurt my little Izuru.” Gin laughed to himself, and headed off to locate Toshiro Hitsugaya.

\---

            Rangiku jumped as she felt her Soul Pager vibrate. She hastily pulled it out from the cradle of her bra, and answered it.

            “Hel _loo_?” said Rangiku musically.

            Momo looked over at Rangiku from where she sat, leaning against Izuru. The Lieutenant of Squad Three understood how Momo felt with being forced to get involved with something like this, especially since it regarded her Captain. Izuru noticed Momo  blankly staring off into space as her face rapidly grew pale, and reassuringly patted her on the head. Momo could only continue to stare soundlessly ahead.

            “Hey there,” said Gin Ichimaru. If Rangiku wasn’t mistaken, she could swear that Gin sounded out of breath. “In about five minutes, I need you to give Sosuke a call. He’ll be expecting Momo, so how about you do it from her Soul Pager, all right?”

            Rangiku blinked. “Why do I have to talk to him?”

            Gin chortled daintily. “Oh, well, you and I both know that Momo won’t do it, and I think my little Izuru is out of commission for the rest of the evening, is he not?”

            Rangiku didn’t know what to say. “Gin…”

            “My, Rangiku. What’s gotten into you?” taunted Gin. “You’ve never been one to walk away from a challenge.”

            Rangiku scoffed. “I’m not walking away-”

            “-then do it,” said Gin.

            There was a lengthy pause as everyone in the room became silent.

            “Fine. Five minutes it is,” finalized Rangiku.

            “Good, good,” said Gin, “I bid you the best of luck! And please, take care of Izuru for me?”

            Rangiku made a face. “Yeah, will do.”

            “All right, well, bye now,” chimed Gin as he ended the call.

            Rangiku sighed as she slipped the phone back into her shirt. “Well, I don’t exactly know why, but I need to call Aizen from Momo’s Soul Pager, five minutes from now,” she explained to the group.

            A chorus of murmurs broke out while Momo and Izuru went over to join Rangiku. Momo had a pained look on her face as he handed over her Soul Pager. She didn’t say a word, but the glint in her eye said it all for her.

            Momo was plain petrified.

            Momo wanted to make sure Captain Aizen was always happy and doing his best. She wanted to help him, and not put him through something demeaning like a prank. She gulped as she watched the seconds tick by.

\---

            Aizen stood in the women’s lingerie section of a common, Soul Reaper retail store. In his right hand, he held a small, plastic bag that housed a box of condoms. In his left hand, he held his Soul Pager, waiting for his Lieutenant to call him.

            _I must look very strange, standing here in this area_ , thought Aizen idly _. I do hope she calls soon. I would like to leave as soon as possible._

            As if on cue, the Soul Pager buzzed, signaling an incoming call.

            Aizen flipped the device open and brought it to his ear.

            “Hello?” he answered.

            “Hi, Captain Aizen?”

            A muted look of confusion briefly passed over Aizen’s features as he recognized the voice of Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto. He pulled the Soul Pager away, glancing at the screen.

            _That is indeed Momo’s number,_ he thought. _Hm, something about this isn’t quite right._

\---

            Rangiku held the Soul Pager in front of her, biting her lip to prevent any barks of laughter from escaping. Momo sat to her left donning the same terrified look that she’d had before. Izuru sat a little ways behind Momo, gently patting her shoulder.

            Everyone in the room was yet again crowded around Rangiku, each trying to remain as quiet as possible.

            Gin had sent Rangiku a typed message relaying roughly what had gone on between him and Aizen, which basically gave everyone a rundown of the prank. Rangiku eagerly read the message to the other players, and after doing so, she was much more enthusiastic about calling Captain Aizen herself.

            Momo was now more horrified than she’d been initially, and Izuru was feeling very strange as well. He’d assumed that his Captain would drag him into the prank in some fashion, but he hadn’t quite been expecting this.

            Momo’s mind went blank as Captain Aizen spoke up, his usually silken voice being muffled by the poor audio of the Soul Pagers.

\---

            “Rangiku,” said Aizen, “How is it that you’re speaking to me from my Lieutenant’s Soul Pager?”

            There was a pause from the other end of the line. Aizen stood patiently, though slightly irritated, staring at the thin pieces of fabric that women forced themselves to wear for the sake of vanity.

            “Oh, well, she’s a bit… Busy, right now, haha,” said Rangiku, her voice sounding grainy through the speaker of Aizen’s Soul Pager. “She asked me to call you in her place.”

            Aizen fought the urge to sigh. “I see.” He paused, “What is it that you are calling in regards to?”

\---

            “Well, Momo said that you should keep in mind that she is a B cup, and that though she does appreciate lace, she doesn’t want too much of it. She said it itches.” Rangiku practically wheezed the latter portion of her statement out. She had the call on speaker again, and had to mute her end of the call once more in order to laugh for a bit. She simply could not keep herself completely composed over such a call, especially while speaking to the rather boring and timid Captain Aizen.

            By this point, Renji’s face matched his hair in color, and the other boys, save for Izuru, were covering their mouths to stifle their own laughter.

            The ladies of the room were leaning all over each other, collapsed or folded in various positions from laughing.

            Momo simply sat, dully allowing Izuru to continue patting her shoulder. Eventually, he stopped, and put his arm around her instead. He feared that the poor girl might have a meltdown from the anxiety she felt.

            Rangiku exhaled sharply as she motioned for everyone to be silent. She then unmuted the call.

\---

            “Is that so?” said Aizen. He was beginning to become fairly certain that he was being set up, so, he approached the section of clothing for women with the cup size that Rangiku had indicated, grabbed two, completely random pairs of lingerie, and headed to the checkout area. “Please go on,” Aizen insisted.

            _I wonder why anyone would waste time with something as irritating as this_ , thought Aizen as he paid for the items. He pretended not to notice the strange looks the cashier gave him as he shoved the clothing items into the bag with the condoms. _Not to mention that this was a waste of my money._

            “She says she needs two pairs-” _How convenient_ , thought Aizen, “-and that they shouldn’t be too thin. She wants to give him a show, not put everything on display right away,” stated Rangiku. Aizen could hear the woman’s smile in her voice.

            Aizen, now back at his Barracks after using Flash Step, walked past his office and to his Lieutenant’s one. He quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside.

\---

            Rangiku was heaving with laughter, and nearly everyone in the room was in the same state.

            Rangiku shushed the members of the room and hit the unmute button. The moment she did so, Aizen spoke.

            “Well, I’m sure she’ll be more than satisfied with my purchases.” There was a pause, and Rangiku exchanged looks with Izuru and Momo. Izuru merely shrugged, and Momo blinked in fear.

            “Oh, and Momo? I know that you’re there. I’ll leave these things in your office for you,” Aizen said. He let out a small chuckle. “I hope your date with Lieutenant Kira goes well, and if the need arises, feel free to visit me in my office. We can see just how well those pieces I picked out fit you.” Aizen laughed once more. “Good evening, Lieutenant Hinamori,” and with that, he ended the call.

            It was silent in the room for a few moments after the call. After which, Momo began to laugh.

            “He… He knew!” exclaimed Momo, “he wasn’t upset! Oh, I am so relieved.” She paused, “I really hope he was joking about that last part.”

            The others smiled while laughing at Aizen’s response, saying that they knew Momo had nothing to worry about. Momo smiled at Izuru, Rangiku, and everyone else in the room.

            “That was actually quite funny,” said Momo as she rubbed the back of her head.

            At that precise second, a large _bang_ was heard resonating from somewhere in the Barracks, as if someone had blown the front doors open.

            Everyone exchanged nervous looks. Renji and Ikkaku grabbed the Kendo swords from earlier and held them at the ready. Shuhei and Yumichika stood up as well, flanking the other two men.

            Voices that gradually increased in volume were coming from beyond the door.

            “…don’t give a damn about that, Ichimaru! I will destroy him!”

            _That’s little Shiro!_ thought Momo. She stood up, dragging Izuru behind her, as she joined up with the line of other men.

            The doors to the meeting room flew open, and in charged a very angry, very red-faced Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya who was being trailed by a terribly flustered looking Captain Gin Ichimaru.

            “Captain Hitsugaya, you mustn’t harm my Lieutenant,” crooned Gin, though his tone lacked sincerity and seemed more teasing in nature.

            “Like I give a damn about what you have to say,” growled the white haired Captain.

            Izuru, though tired and still very embarrassed, was no idiot. He immediately turned around and ran towards the bathroom at the back of the meeting room.

            Toshiro narrowed his eyes as he noticed Izuru’s attempt to flee. “Oh no you don’t!” he shouted as he proceeded to chase after the now screaming Izuru, “Get back here!” yelled Captain Hitsugaya.

Gin was very amused the entire ordeal, and simply stood by as he watched Toshiro chase his Lieutenant into a frenzy. The other members of the room did not stand by idly like Gin. Rangiku and Momo immediately began to hunt down Toshiro, yelling various apologies and explanations, none of which Toshiro cared to listen to.

            Izuru sprinted around the entirety of the room, screaming like a wounded child, until ultimately he tripped on a poorly positioned futon, and tumbled to the fortunately padded floor with a startled cry.

            Toshiro Hitsugaya let out an enraged roar and prepared to leap onto the fallen Lieutenant, who lay sprawled on his back, his face contorted in an expression of panic.

            Rangiku grabbed a hold of her Captain by throwing her arms around his small midsection, while Momo placed herself in front of Izuru, acting as a human shield for the blond Lieutenant.

            “Shiro, you are going to stop this at once!” cried Momo determinedly.

            Toshiro said nothing, though his face began to relax out of its infuriated snarl, and he allowed Rangiku to pull him away from Izuru.

            Momo turned around and reached out an arm to help Izuru up. He smiled painfully and accepted her offer.

            Once everyone had calmed down, Rangiku and Momo explained what had gone on to Toshiro, with Gin throwing in little details every now and then. By the end of the explanation, Toshiro looked very tired, and rightly annoyed.

            “This is all a huge waste of time,” said Hitsugaya as he crossed his arms and turned his head away in a defiant huff.

            Rangiku sighed, about to send her Captain off to bed with a cookie, when an idea formed in her mind.

            “You shouldn’t speak so negatively of something you’ve never experienced, Captain,” said Rangiku teasingly.

            Gin gasped. “My, Toshiro, you’ve never been to sleep over?”

            “I don’t see why that is of any concern to you, Ichimaru,” spat Hitsugaya.

            “Ouch, someone’s moody tonight,” said Gin as he cocked his head to the right, his chin sticking out.

            “Well, I was just about to ask if you and Captain Ichimaru would like to join us for the remainder of the evening,” said Rangiku, her eyes dancing hopefully.

            Izuru, who stood about two feet behind Rangiku, felt an ache in his chest when he heard Rangiku ask that question.

            _Please say no, please say no_ , pleaded Izuru mentally. He was afraid of what might occur if his Captain decided to stay. Izuru strongly disliked it when his Captain treated him more like plaything, rather than a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

            “Well, that sounds like fun,” said Gin, ducking to meet Rangiku’s eyes with his squinted ones, “I’d love to stay.”

  _Fuck_ , swore Izuru.

            “No,” Toshiro said flatly. “I refuse.”

            Momo grabbed onto one of Toshiro’s crossed arms. “Please, Shiro? Please stay, for me,” she pleaded.

            Hitsugaya said nothing for a moment, then sighed in what seemed like defeat. “It’s Captain Hitsugaya, not Shiro.”

            Momo blinked. “Does that mean…”

            “If I dislike anything that occurs here, I will leave immediately,” stated Captain Hitsugaya.

            Momo smiled brightly and pulled Toshiro into a hug. He scoffed defiantly, but allowed her to do so.

            “Well, I’m glad that’s settled,” said Rangiku, “Come on, Captain. You should sit with us over here.”

            Momo led Toshiro to the circle of players, Rangiku following suit with Gin. The four Soul Reapers sat down amongst the blankets and cushions, allowing the game to continue.

            “Momo, who do you want to go next?” asked Rukia as she chomped down on a cheese topped cracker, crumbs trickling down the front of her chin. Rukia blushed as she noticed the mess and hastily wiped the pieces away.

            Momo looked to her left, smiling. “Toshiro, truth or dare?”

            Toshiro, his arms still crossed, sat sitting cross legged like an angry toddler. “What’s the difference?”

            Momo didn’t know how to answer. “Well…”

            “No matter,” said Hitsugaya, “I shall do both.”

            Rangiku, Momo, and Rukia all exchanged looked of astonishment.

            “Both?” repeated Rangiku.

            “Yes, are you hard of hearing, Lieutenant?” said Hitsugaya coldly.

            Rangiku raised her hands in defense, a devilish grin on her face. “Not at all, Captain,” she said, “Not at all.”


	6. Understanding

It took five minutes of anxious whispering, rapid hand movements, and girlish giggling from Gin Ichimaru before the group of Soul Reapers decided upon a truth question that was just right for the Captain of Squad Ten.

            It was late into the night now, with the sky on the other side of the meeting room’s windows identical in shade to that of spilled ink. The moon’s glow was not visible from this side of the Barracks, but the thousand twinkling pinpoints of far off stars made up for its absence.

            Aside from the chatter of all those present in the meeting room, the shrill hiss of the wind could be heard as it wove its way through tree branches, under the eaves and supports of the Barracks, and up and over the stone walls of the Seireitei. The walls and wooden floors creaked as the building cooled in the chilly night air, the planks and beams of the Barracks settling with the wind.

            “All right, Shiro, we’re all set,” said Momo as she wandered back to the still scowling Captain.

            “Well, what are you waiting for?” grumbled Hitsugaya, “Get on with it already.”

            Momo sighed, sitting down beside her brother.

“What was the worst thing that Rangiku has ever dragged you into doing?” she asked.

Toshiro glanced around the room, his expression now a fraction softer than it was initially. His arms were no longer crossed, but the way he held himself made it clear that he was still agitated.

“Aside from this?” asked Hitsugaya.

Momo laughed. “Yes, this doesn’t count.”

Toshiro made an annoyed snort. “I’ll need a moment to consider,” he stated.

Everyone shrugged, waiting for the Captain to speak. Rukia began passing a tray of snacks around the room for the others to munch on in the meantime.

            Renji, in a poor attempt to show off his flexibility, reached over Shuhei’s back, around his shoulders, and tried to grab a handful of the crackers that Rukia was passing around. Instead of elegantly bypassing Shuhei from where he sat, Renji strained his arm in the process, and his arm seized up in a cramp as it came in contact with the snacks. Renji cried out as the muscle contracted into a tight knot of agony, and without thinking, Renji forced his arm down. Not only did he completely knock the tray from Rukia’s hands, spilling the snacks all over the floor, Renji also ended up smacking Shuhei painfully across the shoulders.

            Shuhei yelped and crawled away, an ugly grimace upon his face. He muttered under his breath, swearing, when he realized that he’d just crawled all over the spilled crackers while moving and had created a bigger mess than there was initially. He angrily brushed crumbs off his knees as he watched Rukia approach Renji.

            Rukia sighed, glowering at her friend. “You are such an idiot sometimes,” she said, smacking Renji across the back of his head, the way a mother scolds a rambunctious child. Renji grumbled an apology and got to work with helping Rukia clean up the mess.

            Toshiro waited until everything was cleaned up and orderly before speaking.

“I’ve come to a conclusion,” he said, turning to the room.

The other players eagerly regarded the Captain, leaning in to hear what he had to say.

“I recall one instance where my Lieutenant and I were on assignment in the World of the Living. We had finished with our duties, and proceeded to patrol the area for further disturbances. Just under an hour of doing so, Rangiku came across a flyer advertising what is referred to as a ‘prom’-”

Laughter interrupted the Captain’s words. “Oh, I remember this!” said Rangiku, beaming at her Captain. “My apologies for interrupting, Captain. Please continue.”

Toshiro glared at the busty woman before resuming his speech. “As I was saying, we’d come across this flyer, and Rangiku determined that she wanted to attend the event. I told her that we’d do no such thing. However, being the _insolent_ and _forceful_ woman that she is,” Toshiro paused as Rangiku giggled, “she physically dragged me, dragged _me_ , her _Captain_ , to the location of the event and had us placed on the guest list.”

By this point, everyone in the room was smiling big, dopey smiles at Captain Hitsugaya, attempting to stay quiet. They did not want to risk laughing at the Captain’s story for the sake of their lives.

“She towed me around the entire city that day, dragging me into and out of store after store, as she wasted _my_ money on clothing and other tasteless nonsense. She even went was far as forcing me into a tuxedo, deeming my Captain’s uniform an unfit attire for the event, though I still strongly disagree with that statement,” continued Toshiro.

Rangiku, her face now rouge from silently laughing, spoke up. “Captain, if I may, would you allow me to continue this story for you?”

Toshiro scowled, sighing. “I suppose-”

“Great!” piped Rangiku before Hitsugaya could change his mind. “So, about two hours later, I got the both of us to the convention hall where the dance was being held. Now, I’d only been to about thirty of these in my lifetime, and I couldn’t bear to miss another while in town,” she laughed, tossing her long, voluminous hair over her shoulder. “We had a great time, didn’t we, Captain?”

Toshiro said nothing. He looked away and crossed his arms once more, scoffing irritably as he mumbled a faint, “I recall nothing of the sort.”

Rangiku smirked. “Oh, don’t be such a party pooper, Captain. I remember how one of those adorable little slow songs came on, and how we danced together,” Rangiku sighed, and sniggered consecutively, “and how I kept stepping on your toes. It was a wonderful evening, wouldn’t you agree?” giggled Rangiku innocently.

“Wonderfully embarrassing is more like it,” stated the Captain, frowning at his Lieutenant.

The others could stay quiet no more.

“Oh my, Toshiro, you do know how to have a good time, don’t you?” chortled Gin as he fluidly covered his thin lips with his fingertips as he began to laugh airily.

Momo and Rangiku snickered quietly, and the others all followed suit. It was quite the event to learn that the stern Captain Hitsugaya had been attending a human dance with his Lieutenant.

“Aw, Shiro,” said Momo as she rubbed Toshiro’s head, mussing his hair with her small fingers. Toshiro, though he was fuming, felt himself blush at the contact.

 _Enough of this_ , thought Toshiro. He turned his attention to the crowd of smiling and laughing Soul Reapers. “Enough!” he shouted, “Let us just move on to the latter half of this!”

The wind suddenly brushed against the outer walls of the Barracks, generating a haunting moan from the outside. Everyone quieted down, listening intently to the mesmerizing sound, after which, it took a few more minutes for everyone to calm down enough to begin to discuss Toshiro’s dare. It was Captain Hitsugaya they were dealing with, after all. They wanted an immensely satisfying dare, one that was as unforgettable as the other ones.

It was Renji who came up with the dare, but out of fear, he requested that someone else voice the challenge. Nanao Ise accepted, and shoved her way past the clump of people, placing herself in front of Captain Hitsugaya.

Toshiro’s eyes narrowed. _Why is she just standing there?_ he thought absently. _What have they got planned?_

Nanao glanced over her shoulder as she gently nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a swift brush of her hand. Renji and Shuhei stepped forward and flanked the Lieutenant of Squad Eight, as if cued by an unseen command.

“Captain Hitsugaya, we dare you to remain as you are for the next five minutes, no matter what. You are challenged to prevent yourself from laughing under any and all circumstances,” said Nanao methodically.

Toshiro’s face loosened up, his expression now perplexed. “I am not permitted to _laugh_ for the next five minutes?” he inquired.

 _Such a simple task_ , he thought. _Are they underestimating my abilities as Captain?_ Toshiro shrugged. _No matter, I would like to get this over with as soon as possible_.

“That is correct,” said Nanao, nodding as she checked the small wristwatch on her right arm. “Your time begins… Now.”

Immediately, Renji and Shuhei broke out into giant grins as they advanced menacingly towards the Captain of Squad Ten, chucking devilishly as they did so. They stepped over futons and other guests alike, paying no heed to any obstacles in their path. Their eyes were solely trained on the Captain of Squad Ten.

Toshiro blinked uncertainly, a small amount of unease trickling into his gut.

“I apologize in advance, Captain Hitsugaya,” said Renji, his voice oddly monotone.

A chorus of laughter followed Renji’s statement.

“Yeah, sorry, Captain,” said Shuhei, his tone the flat as well.

“Wait,” Hitsugaya said tentatively as he got to his feet, “What are you-”

            Toshiro stopped speaking in order to let out a childish scream as Renji burst forward, grabbing a hold of his right arm, and Shuhei his left. Hitsugaya began to thrash and kick at the two Lieutenants as he attempted to free himself, but Renji and Shuhei held fast. They did not let the petite Captain budge an inch.

            Toshiro’s rabid movements skewed blankets along the floor, shoving various items away into haphazard piles. He felt the plain, blue button down pajama shirt he wore slowly sliding up his chest as Renji and Shuhei continued to restrain him. The sudden exposure knocked Toshiro into a panic.

            “Unhand me!” roared Toshiro, watching with wide eyes as his Lieutenant and Momo came to stand in front of him. “Release me, you idiots! Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

            “Remember, Captain. No laughing,” said Rangiku whimsically as she knelt down in front of her Captain, with Momo mirroring her.

            The pair of women reached out, and began to frivolously tickle Toshiro Hitsugaya’s abdomen.

            The occupants of the room began to smile as they watched little Captain Hitsugaya get tickled, but none of them dared say a word just yet.

            Yumichika stealthily pulled out his Soul Pager and began recording the event, biting his lip as he watched.

            Silence followed, only to be broken by the sound of pure, heartfelt laughter coming from Toshiro Hitsugaya.

            _Damn it all_ , thought Toshiro, his stomach set aflame by the fingers of his two closest friends.

            Between each burst of laughter, Toshiro attempted to force out a sentence. “How… How dare you…” He wheezed, throwing his head as his laughter took over his body.

            Great, racking sounds emitted from the boy’s small body, and everyone in the room found themselves infected by the sound. Each and every person began laughing just as hard as Toshiro, some even doubling over or falling to the floor. Yumichika had abandoned his Soul Pager a few seconds after Toshiro had lost his composure, kneeling down as he shook with laughter.

            “Lemme go,” pleaded Toshiro between coughs, “Stop-ah, ahahaha!”

            The tickling did not cease, and neither did the laughter. “Okay, fine! Fine! I give! Stop, please!” screeched Captain Hitsugaya, struggling against his captors. “I can’t breathe, Rangiku!”

            Rangiku, her head bowed as she too laughed joyously, nodded. “All right, I’ll stop,” she said as she and Momo pulled away. Their cheeks flush, eyes teary, and stomachs raw.

            Renji and Shuhei slowly lowered Toshiro to the floor, where he rolled over on his side, onto a futon. He clutched at his stomach, still laughing, a gorgeous smile warping his features in an expression of perfect elation. “You…” gasped Toshiro, “I will have you all demoted…”

            Though he’d said the words, Toshiro knew he’d only uttered an empty threat. _I cannot believe it_ , he thought, _I must be going mad_ , _but, is it bad to feel as if I rather_ enjoyed _that?_

Toshiro lay where he was, letting his chortles die down. Minutes later, he’d finally calmed down, still smiling brightly as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

            Momo crept over to Hitsugaya’s side and carefully draped his blue blanket over his shoulders. Toshiro regarded his sister, and bowed his head slightly, smiling in thanks.

            Captain Hitsugaya turned back to the group. “Are you all satisfied?” Toshiro asked, his voice clipped, though he was still grinning.

            Various sounds of agreement and confirmation answered his question.

            “Good,” he said, accepting a cookie from Rangiku as she took her seat next to her Captain. “Shall we move on then?”

            Nodding came from the members of the room.

            Now that everyone had been pacified, they too joined the members of Squad Ten on the floor, reforming the group into its usual circular formation.  

            “So, whose turn is it now?” pondered Toshiro as he munched noisily on the chocolate chip treat. Though he would never admit it, it was one of the best cookies he’d ever eaten, and he’d consumed a great many number of different sweets in his life.

            “That’s for you to decide, Captain,” said Rangiku, looking over at her Captain.

            Toshiro took another bite out of the sweet, eyeing everyone in the room. “Lieutenant Kurotsuchi,” called Toshiro, a few stray crumbs sticking to his lips, “what is your choice?”

            The reserved Lieutenant of Squad Twelve tilted her head to one side, musing over the question. She was clad in a long sleeved black shirt and red shorts, with her long hair unbraided and falling in dark rivulets over her slim shoulders. She sat languidly, leaning her body weight on an outstretched arm, her long legs unfolding in a mermaid-like position. The red, silk sheets of the futon beneath her made it look as if she was the subject of a fantastical painting. She was almost ethereal in grace.

            “I would like truth, please,” requested the hushed Lieutenant.

            The others began whispering to one another as Nemu sat still, tilting her head the other way. She simply sat, tuning out the noise, as she watched her companions converse over her.

            “Okay, Nemu,” said Rukia, mere minutes later. “Rangiku, you ask her.”

            Renji, Toshiro, and the other men of the room, except for Gin, wore their eyes wide, lips pulled tightly shut with vibrant, scarlet flushes stretching from ear to ear. The question was unlike the others asked, and it ruffled the feathers of all the boys present, save for Captain Ichimaru, of course, though, he was quite curious to hear Nemu’s answer.

            Rangiku cleared her throat and took a sip out of a large bottle of sake. “Nemu, we wanna know if you’ve ever… Pleased yourself, sexually, before,” she slurred as a different type of redness took to her cheeks.

            Nemu blinked. She initially didn’t understand the question, but after surfing through her thoughts and memories, the meaning dawned on her.

            “Yes, I have,” she stated blatantly, not even a blush on her face. “I was required to by Master Mayuri in order to better understand my composure. Master Mayuri was kind enough to aid me on my first attempt.”

            Everyone went quiet, until Renji and Shuhei began to gush thin streams on blood from their nostrils. Rangiku and Rukia, clearly exasperated, whacked the pair on the back of the head, muttering “how immature” under their breath.

            “Thank you for sharing that,” said Isane Kotetsu timidly, fighting off a strange mix of emotions as she took her seat next to Nemu.

            Renji and Shuhei wiped the remains of their nosebleeds away, each rubbing the backs of their heads.

            Turning to Shuhei, Renji whispered, “I never realized how hot she was-”

            “Until now?” concluded Shuhei, nodding as he faced Renji. “I was just going to say that.”

            The pair of Lieutenants grinned idiotically at one another, until Rukia once again took notice of them, and demanded that they behave. She hushed them, wringing their ears like school children, reminding them that Rangiku was about to speak.

            “Well, that leaves you, Gin,” said Rangiku. She leaned around Hitsugaya to look the Captain of Squad Three. “What will it be?”

 


	7. All Good Things Must Come to an End

Gin cocked his head towards Rangiku. “Hmm, well, I don’t suppose I’d be allowed to do both, would I?” he buzzed.

            Rangiku raised her hands, spreading her palms, shrugging. “If that’s what you want…”

            Gin’s smile spread wider. “Well, I’ll let you get to work on that then,” he cooed as he stuck his fingers in his ears, and began to melodically sing a wordless song.

            Through Gin’s slit eyes, the fair haired Captain watched as the other Lieutenants and Soul Reapers fussed over his question. They laughed and smiled together, pointing fingers at one another, cracking jokes that he couldn’t hear over the sound of his own voice.

            His eyes danced over the group, and he felt his smile falter for a fraction of a second.

            Izuru Kira was the only Soul Reaper of the pack not wearing a genuine smile. He was indeed smiling, though. His lips were stretched tastefully, his perfect teeth peeking out from behind. But, Gin knew Izuru better than most, and he could tell when his Lieutenant wasn’t being sincere. Gin was subject to that smile frequently, and Izuru subject to his own. He couldn’t help but think how alike they were. They smiled, they grinned, they beamed, but it was a default reflex for them both. Gin smiled enough for an army of men, and Izuru mirrored him in hopes of keeping up with his Captain. Izuru knew his Captain wore his smile like other men wore medals. It was a symbol of who he was, and Izuru, though he only desired to fulfill his orders and duties as a Lieutenant, he knew the smile would never be truly his.

            Gin wondered if there was ever a time when Izuru smiled out of pure joy. He was sure there had been a moment in the blond haired boy’s life, multiple even, but Gin hadn’t been there to witness it, and it was for that reason that he believed that Izuru had never experienced true happiness.

            _Why attend something like this, Izuru_? thought Gin, his voice rising louder, completely drowning out the murmur of voices in the room. _Why attend something that will only make you miserable?_

            What Gin wasn’t aware of was the fact that Izuru was most definitely enjoying himself. He was spending a night with his closest friends, he’d laughed harder and louder than he’d ever done before. He’d gotten drunk, he’d almost given his body to his own Captain, but despite it all, he was elated. He was soaring with bliss. His smile was unsteady, fake even, but only because he dreaded to hear what his Captain would say to the question the group would soon ask. Izuru was happy, and it only made him more so to know that his Captain would be none the wiser.

            The amount of time it took for those thoughts to cross the minds of the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Three went by faster than the most effortless of Flash Steps, meaning that it didn’t take long for the others to find a question for Captain Ichimaru. They’d all wanted to ask him the same thing from the moment he entered the room.

            Renji volunteered to ask Gin the question. Izuru had initially been nominated, but he vehemently refused, his face set askew with a multitude of different, painful sentiments.

            “We’re ready, Captain Ichimaru,” said Renji.

            Gin, seeing that the others were not planning on sitting down once again, lazily got to his feet and faced the group. He glanced at Izuru, but nobody noticed. Nobody could notice if they tried to.

            “What did you think of Izuru’s prank from earlier?” asked Renji as he began to laugh at the memory of the video Yumichika had shown everyone earlier.

            Gin swayed, chuckling. “Oh, well,” he began, turning to face the very pained looking Izuru Kira, “I kind of wish it wasn’t a prank.”

            The other players began jeering loudly, pointing at Izuru as he ducked his head. Gin laughed, and everyone else did the same.

            To settle the poor Izuru’s heart, Gin said, “I’m only joking, Lieutenant,” as he Flash Stepped forward and slung an arm around Izuru’s shoulders.

 _I hope you understand that I don’t mean to make things difficult for you_ , thought Gin.

            Izuru stiffened, but then relaxed as realized that he could not avoid his own Captain forever. His stomach, wound tight in anxiety, fell loose, and he realized the ultimate truth of the matter: that Gin was his Captain. There was no hiding from the one man that Izuru spent the most time with.

            _It’s only the Captain_ , thought Izuru. _He’d never disrespect our relationship. He can’t damage it more than I already have._

“I understand, sir,” he said meekly, peeking up at the ever smiling man from beneath his bangs. 

Gin, seemingly satisfied that he’d repaired his relationship with his Lieutenant, patted Izuru on the head.

“Good, good! Now, onto the dare, if you will. I’m giddy with excitement,” said Gin as he slipped back to the other side of the room. He plugged his ears once more, and began to sing.

Gin, though appearing to be content with his status with his Lieutenant, was ultimately displeased with himself. He could tell that Izuru was still uneasy, and he planned to restore their relationship before the sun came up.

 _This might be a bit tricky,_ thought Gin, as he tried to determine a way to make things right with his Lieutenant.  

\---

“What should we do?” said Renji, his eyes dancing with possibilities.

“I say we make him serenade someone,” said Rukia. “He’s got a nice voice.”

Rangiku coughed, choking on her sake. “I’ve got it,” she said, her face glowing, “We should make him give someone a lap dance.”

Everyone started laughing at the thought of the Captain performing such a scandalous act, especially in front of the other Soul Reapers.

“All right, great, but who gets to be the lucky victim?” asked Shuhei, his eyes shifting around the faces of the crowd.

There was a great pause, until one by one, each and every head turned to look at Izuru Kira.

Izuru’s eyes doubled in size as he realized what the others were implying.

“No,” he stated, “No way. Nope. Absolutely not.” Izuru shook his head, his blond bangs whipping around his face.

 _I am not screwing things up more than I already did_ , thought Izuru. _I have to work with this man for the rest of my life. I can’t let this go any further._

Rangiku and Renji began grinning impishly.

“ _Fuck no_ ” Izuru said, his face paling. He made slicing motions with his hands, signifying that he would have nothing more to do with this. He refused to do anything remotely sexual in nature, implied or not, with his Captain. He refused to worsen the situation between himself and Gin.

Shuhei smirked and threw an arm around his waist.

“Over my dead body-” Izuru was cut off midsentence.

“All right, Gin!” called Rangiku as she waved her bottle of sake in the air.

Izuru continued to shout protests, but the others ignored him. Shuhei dragged Izuru over to a chair, sat him down, and held him there by the shoulders.

“Shuhei!” yelled Izuru. “I am _fucking straight!_ Let me go!”

Yumichika pulled out his Soul Pager once again and trained it on Izuru, snickering playfully.

Gin approached the group, tilting his head curiously, but not saying anything. “Let’s hear it,” the Captain said almost hungrily.

Renji had gone over to help Shuhei hold down the struggling and swearing Izuru, while Rangiku relayed the dare.

“Would you both _fuck off_?” screamed Izuru.

“We dare you to give Izuru a lap dance,” said Rangiku, laughing as she did.

Gin looked over at his positively petrified Lieutenant, murmured a faint, “Oh my, poor little Izuru,” and began to approach the restrained boy.

Gin loomed over Izuru, his smile offsetting the giant shadow he cast over the blond man.

“Captain, please-” Izuru pleaded, but Gin would have none of it.

“Relax, Lieutenant,” he said, his tone full of teasing intents. “You’ll be just fine.”

With that, Renji and Shuhei let go of Izuru, and sprinted to join the crowd of observers.

Izuru immediately tried to stand and flee, but Gin moved faster than he did. Before he could blink, Izuru became pinned down by his Captain for the second time that night.

Gin plopped down onto Izuru’s lap, his hands tucked neatly into the sleeves of his robes. Gin’s back was to Izuru, and Izuru fought the urge to reach forward and push the Captain off of him, or raise his knees a little and send him tumbling to the ground.

 _Goddamn it,_ thought Izuru. _Well,_ now _things can’t get any worse_.

The crowd watched, waiting for Gin to begin.

 _He needs to get off me. Right now_ , thought Izuru.

Izuru fought the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. Instead, he forced himself to speak.

“Captain,” wheezed Izuru, “You’re heavy.”

Gin sighed. “My, that’s not a very kind thing to say, Izuru,” scolded Gin, obviously toying with Izuru.

“My apologies, sir,” Izuru gasped.

There was a pause, and the crowd of Soul Reapers began laughing at the sight of Gin Ichimaru, perched delicately atop his Lieutenant as he used to poor boy as a seat.

“You know what,” Gin said, looking over his shoulder at Izuru, “I think I’ll just sit here for the rest of the night.”

The Soul Reapers cheered, and Izuru groaned.

Gin giggled daintily. “I’m only kidding, Izuru,” he said as he removed himself from his Lieutenant. “I’m not cruel now, am I?”

Izuru, panting due to enduring his Captain’s full body weight for an extended period of time, turned to his Captain. “No… No, sir,” he said, rising to meet his Captain’s eyes.

Gin cocked his head to once side. “You’re upset with me,” Gin said plainly, his words tinged slightly with sadness. _You have every right to be, Izuru_ , thought Gin.

Izuru glanced away, unsure of what to say. He was indeed upset, but he was this man’s Lieutenant in the end. _It doesn’t really matter what happens to me_ , he thought glumly, _as long as the Captain gets his way_.

“Izuru,” said Gin, his tone serious.

Lieutenant Kira looked up, startled by the sudden change in his Captain.

“I apologize for my behaviour this evening. I do hope you can bring yourself to forgive me for my actions,” said Gin sincerely.

Izuru stared blankly at his Captain for a few moments.

The crowd behind the pair was hush, watching as the duo resolved their unrest. Yumichika had politely put his device away, promising himself to delete all of the footage from the night later.

“I forgive you, sir, but, there is no excuse for my actions, either,” said Izuru tiredly. “I broke into your room-”

“Oh, Izuru,” sighed Gin, “You’re too serious, you know that?”

Izuru blinked, caught very off guard once again. “Sir…”

“Let me see,” pondered Gin thoughtfully, tapping his chin as he collected his thoughts. “How about we both agree to put this behind us, and move on, okay? How does that sound?”

Izuru blanked. He wanted to agree, but his lips refused to form the words.

Gin simply laughed. “Well, good. I’m glad we’re on the same page, Lieutenant.”

Izuru snapped out of the stupor, his features softening as the tension he’d been feeling all night left his body. “Me too, sir,” smiled Izuru.

Gin’s own smile widened only a hair’s breadth in length, so subtle a change that nobody would see it. Gin felt fully pleased with himself. He’d finally done it.

He’d finally seen Izuru smile a real smile.

\---

Byakuya Kuchiki was torn from his tranquil dreamland as the sound of shrill laughter and cheering rudely penetrated the peaceful solitude of his office.

He opened his eyes, slowly getting to his feet. He reached his slender arms above his head, stretching out the sore, cramped muscles in his body. He began to regret allowing himself to fall asleep in his chair.

The night was still lingering, but Byakuya could see the light of the moon fading as pale, orange and red streaks lit the sky, far off into the distance. The wind had died down at last, and Byakuya stepped forward, pulling his window shut.

Just then, another round of laughter cut through the air.

 _I knew they would not be able to remain quiet_ , thought Byakuya as he sleepily rubbed the grit out of his eyes.

As he pulled his hands away, he noticed that his fingers had come away stained, dyed black from touching his face.

 _I see they had no boundaries as well_ , thought Byakuya, as he felt anger boiling up within him. _I shall see to it that this never happens again_.

\---

            The large mass of friends and Soul Reapers milled happily about the Squad Six meeting room, sharing food, drinks, secrets, and each other’s company. There was nobody left to challenge, and the group felt relieved and saddened by this at the same time.

            Rukia was very content with how the evening had gone. She was beyond elated, so much so that she felt she might begin to shed tears over the overwhelming feelings of companionship that flowed through her veins. She’d had a little to drink, plenty to eat, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to proceed with the _sleep_ part of the sleepover.

            Rukia’s thoughts were tossed aside with the jarring sound of the meeting room’s doors being thrown open.

            In the doorway stood the brooding Byakuya Kuchiki, his face adorned with soft, grey smudges, glaring heatedly at the room.

            The room became as silent as death, and all eyes present focused on the Captain of Squad Six. Byakuya looked about ready to tear the room, and everyone inside, to pieces. He radiated a violent torrent of energy, and everyone could only stand frozen, watching the Captain’s stern figure.

            Byakuya opened his mouth, preparing to speak, when he was interrupted by a shrill voice.

            “Brother!”

            _Rukia_ , Byakuya thought, his rage cooling as if he’d been doused in the frigid waters of a river.

            Rukia rushed to her brother’s side, her face glowing in happiness. “Did we wake you?” she asked virtuously, her voice filled with concern.

            Byakuya looked at his sister, the anger he felt completely dissipating as he caught her gaze with his. His hostility melted away like the thawing of an iceberg.

            _She looks so happy_ , he thought, his expression softening.

            Rukia stared up at her brother, her eyes wide and bright, her cheeks tinged red, smiling exquisitely at the elder Kuchiki.

            Byakuya did not know what to say.

            _That smile_ , he thought, _she is truly happy._

            The Kuchikis looked at each other for a long, tense moment, where the other occupants of the room waited, sweating in anxiety, for Byakuya to make his next move. Captains Toshiro Hitsugaya and Gin Ichimaru were not as outright afraid as the others, but they too felt uneasy with Byakuya fuming only a few feet away.

            Byakuya blinked as he remembered why he entered the room in the first place. He turned away from Rukia, more than satisfied that she was contented, and faced the other members of the room.

            “Which one of you had the _audacity_ to break into my office and vandalize my face?” growled Byakuya.

            There was no response from the partygoers.

            Byakuya was starting to get agitated, when Rukia spoke up.

            “It was Renji!” she yelled, her face bright red.

            Renji let out an enraged, startled cry. “What?! It wasn’t me! It was-”

            “Silence,” said Byakuya, raising his palm to quiet his Lieutenant. “Not another word, Lieutenant Abarai.”

            Byakuya took one, single step forward, the dull clap of his footstep echoing around the room.

            Renji swore, and began to turn away, prepared to jump out of one of the windows if necessary, the other members of the room following his example.

            Time seemed to slow down for Rukia as she watched her brother draw his sword, his lips carefully forming a pair of deadly words.

            “Scatter, Senbonzakura.”

\---

            Rukia woke to the warmth of sunlight on her face. She forced her eyelids apart, fighting off the tiredness that threatened to drag her back to her hazy world of dreams.

            Light streamed in through the windows of the meeting room, the sounds of singing birds lacing the air. The room smelled of bodies, alcohol, and sugar: a strange, companionable scent.

            She’d fallen asleep on her stomach, but not on the floor. She struggled to remember the events of the night as she shifted against the object she’d passed out on top of.

            _Byakuya came in and…_ she faintly furrowed her brow in recollection. _Oh, right. He chased Renji, and then we apologized… Hm…_ Her thoughts trailed off as she snuggled against the soft, sturdy structure beneath her. _What did I fall asleep on?_

            She cracked her eyes open again and caught sight of the thin, white fabric beneath her, and the dark, jagged tattoos that were visible underneath. She saw the rise and fall of a chest, and as her eyes trailed upwards, she noticed the waves of red hair pooling around a pair of broad shoulders.

            She smiled. _Renji, I hope you’re not too upset about me setting you up_.

            Rukia gently raised her head off of her friend’s chest, being very careful as to not stir him from his slumber.

            Looking around the room, she saw her brother propped up against a wall, leaning on a pillow, still clutching his Zanpakuto as he snored quietly.

            Shuhei, Izuru, and Gin were dozing off in a corner inside of three, neatly organized futons. Gin continued to sigh delicately with his every exhale.

            Ikkaku and Yumichika had fallen asleep in a large tangle of limbs, blankets, and cushions. A discarded Soul Pager lay beside the pair, as did the fragments of a shattered kendo sword. Ikkaku frequently muttered garbled statements, and Yumichika occasionally moaned in response.

            Rangiku, Momo, and Toshiro were leaning against a wall. Toshiro was in the centre of the three, with Rangiku snoring noisily on his right side, a bottle of sake held loosely in her grasp. Momo was sleeping soundlessly on his left, her arm tucked around her brother’s.

            Isane and Kiyone had tucked themselves under a large blanket, each clutching a pillow to their chests, their cheeks flushed for reasons unknown.

            Nemu and Nanao leaned on each other’s shoulders, their chests rising and falling flawlessly as the two hardworking women rested.

            Rukia smiled once more, shutting her eyes as she lowered herself back onto Renji’s chest.

            Though the sun was out, the night she’d experienced had been anything but restful.

            _Wild or not_ , she thought _, that was the best night of my life_. She smiled against her friend’s t-shirt, breathing his familiar scent. _I finally understand what happiness is._

            _I finally feel like I belong._

-END-


End file.
